honduras dissertations

UNIVERSITY BROCHURE 2015
www.opwall.com
WHAT IS OPERATION WALLACEA?
Operation Wallacea is an organisation, funded by tuition fees, that runs a series
of biological and conservation management research programmes in remote
locations across the world. These expeditions are designed with specific wildlife
conservation aims in mind - from identifying areas needing protection, through
to implementing and assessing conservation management programmes. What is
different about Operation Wallacea is that large teams of ecologists, scientists,
academics and postgraduate researchers who are specialists in various
aspects of biodiversity or social and economic studies are concentrated at the
target study sites. This gives volunteers the opportunity to work on a range of
projects. The surveys result in a large number of publications in peer-reviewed
journals each year, have resulted in 30 vertebrate species new to science being
discovered, 4 ‘extinct’ species being re-discovered, and over US$2 million
levered from funding agencies to set up best practice management examples at
the study sites. These large survey teams of scientists and volunteers that are
funded independently of normal academic sources have enabled large temporal
and spatial biodiversity and socio-economic data sets to be produced and
provide information to help with organising effective conservation management
programmes.
In 2015, the expeditions are operating in 9 countries: Indonesia,
Transylvania, South Africa, Madagascar, Peru, Guyana, Cuba, Honduras
and Mexico. In each country, a long-term agreement is signed with a partner
organisation (e.g. Tela Marine Research Centre in Honduras, Fund Amazonia in
Peru, Wildlife Ecological Investments in South Africa) and over the course of
this agreement, it is hoped to achieve a survey and management development
programme at each of the sites. Occasionally, a competent local partner
organisation is not available. In these cases, Operation Wallacea mentors the
formation of a new NGO formed from local staff who have provided successful
input to the expedition surveys (e.g. Lawane Ecotone for the Indonesian forest
and Expediciones y Servicios Ambientales de Cusuco for the Honduran
cloud forests).
BIODIVERSITY SCIENCE
Opwall is the publisher of Biodiversity Science. An on-line journal that
describes advances in biodiversity monitoring, new species discoveries
and advances on conservation management. Articles are peer reviewed by
a team of editors from Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, McMaster and Essex
Universities, Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Geographical Society. If
you would like to receive the quarterly free journal then please log onto the
Biodiversity Science website and sign up (www.biodiversityscience.org).
HOW DO I BECOME PART OF THE PROGRAMME?
The Operation Wallacea surveys require contributions from a large range of
people with different levels of academic expertise and training and this brochure
describes how the different groups are able to contribute to the programme.
Section 1 describes how the Operation Wallacea programmes are constructed,
the health and safety approach used and how the data generated by the
programmes in each country are used for conservation management purposes.
Academics: See section 2 on page 6 for details of how you can become
involved in the programme.
Undergraduate: Section 3 describes the opportunities for those in university
education, or who have recently completed degrees, to join the programme as
research assistants to gain field experience or course credit.
Dissertations: Section 4 describes how you can join to complete an
undergraduate dissertation or independent research project in the field with a
high level of academic support. There are around 100 research topics available
to develop into dissertations or independent research topics.
Post-Graduate: Section 5 describes opportunities for completing a Masters by
Research involving a 6-month field-based project.
Medics: There are opportunities for Pre-Meds, medical elective students and
medical staff to join the expeditions, please see contents for the relevant pages.
GLOBAL RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
www.opwall.com
The vast majority of science programmes that deliver key research outcomes are
characterised by short-term funding with restricted aims and bio-geographical
ranges. Long-term projects covering large bio-geographical scales that
incorporate more than one ecosystem are rare. The Operation Wallacea
programme provides the opportunity to consider science and conservation
of key ecosystems from a global perspective. Opwall is able to draw upon
researchers from a wide range of different disciplines and academic institutions
to address major issues related to the sustainable management and conservation
of some of the world’s most diverse but threatened environments.
Groups of sixth form or high school students with their teachers in attendance are
allowed to participate in some of the programmes but have a much more restricted range
of options available to them due to the short time they have on site. The high school
programme is not included in this brochure and has a separate brochure.
A global research and conservation strategy has been developed and is applied
in 4 stages at each of the sites. This includes an initial assessment of the
biological value of the site (stage 1). If the site is accepted into the Opwall
programme, an ecosystem monitoring programme is established to determine
the direction of change (stage 2). If this reveals a continuing decline, a
programme for monitoring socio-economic change in adjacent communities
is established to determine how these communities interact with the study site
(stage 3). Once data from stage 2 and stage 3 are obtained, funding applications
are submitted to establish a best practice example of conservation management
and the success of these programmes are then monitored (stage 4). There is
obviously considerable overlap between these stages and stage 1 projects can
be running at the same time as a stage 4 programme in order to add data to
understanding the ecosystem requirements of target species or adding to the
overall species lists for previously un-worked taxa.
WHAT IS OPERATION WALLACEA
2
Photo Credits
Caroline Acton, ADEPT, Akumal Dive Centre, Danny Albone, Henry Ali Singer,
Cahyo Alkantana, Alicia Alvarez, Anmari Alvarez, Dr Jorge Angulo, James Arlington,
Maria Arroyo, Robert Arthur, Tom Avent, Matt Bassett, Carol Battram, Rebecca Beber,
Jake Bicknell, Dr Dave Bird, Dr Kirstin Bohn, Joe Bourne, Dr Mark Bowler, David Bowman,
Robin Brace, Alistair Bygrave,Sara Carlson, Jasci Carvalho, Anais Castillo, Henrietta Chilton,
Steven Christian, Andy Clark, Dr James Coates, Dr Tim Coles,Tim Colston, Xander Combrinx,
Emily Cook, Coral Divers, Felipe Alfonso Cortes , Ruth Cox, Alison Curtis,
Dr Jocelyn Curtis-Quick, Rachel Daniels, Pippa Disney-Tozer, Amy Dixon,
Louisa-Molly Dorrington, Carys Edwards, Ben Evans, Dr Dan Exton, M Fahmi Permana,
Rachael Forster, Victoria Gerhke, Larissa Gumuchdjia, G Hamilton, Annie Harris, Peter Herbst,
Cat Hendry, Dr Justin Hines, Danielle Hines,Ashley Holland, Emma Hughes, Eleanor Jew,
Sarah King, Jon Kolby, Calvin Koltze, Shawn Kovacs, Andreas Lange, Adam Laverty,
Dan Lazell, Paul Leafe, Tom Leslie, Etienne Littlefair, Laura Mack, Megan Lock, Gerhard Lorist,
Jeni Love, Oliver Lutte, Niall McCann, K McKimm, Steve McMellor, Eduardo Marbuto,
Jonny Miller, Juan de Dios Morales Nunez, Ferdie Muller, Tom Mullier, Jamie Neaves,
Dan Newman, Natalie Novak, Dr Paul O’Callaghan, Dr Rob Pickles, Kerry Pitcher,
Dr Roger Poland, Adam Powell, James Powell, Dr Nancy Priston, Dan Pupius,
Adam Radage, Ernesto Reyes, Ali Reza, Keith Richardson, Dr Jeremy Rowe, James Rimmer,
Dr Jeremy Rowe, Ben Sadd, Dr James Saunders, Kevin Schmidt, Victor Shegelski,
Georgie Scott, Pelayo Salinas de Leon, Dr James Saunders, Peter Seymour, Johan Scholtz,
Dr Imma Shah, Victor Shegelski, Dr Jonathan Shrives, David Slater, Dr Kathy Slater,
Prof Dave Smith, Andrew Snyder, Dr Martin Speight, Hugh Tam, Lara Taylor, Vicki Tough,
Alex Tozer, Alex Turnbull, Dr George Turnball, Sarah Jane Walsh, Ariane Whitehead,
Matthew Whiteley, Dr Roy Wiles, Paul Williams, Sarah Wood, Hannah Wright,
Calina Zepeda, Florian Schulz
HEALTH AND SAFETY
FUNDRAISING SUPPORT
Risk is inherent in everything that we do in life. Without accepting and
understanding these risks, we would not be able to do anything at all. The first
concern of all activities undertaken as part of Operation Wallacea expeditions is
to gain an understanding of the environments we will be working in, and from
this to reduce risk to health and safety as far as is possible. All the expeditions
provided by Operation Wallacea meet the requirements of BS8848 Specification
for the provision of visits, fieldwork, expeditions and adventurous activities
outside the UK. Detailed documents explaining how each of the expeditions
complies with the clauses of BS8848 are published on the Operation Wallacea
website before the start of the research programmes. Medical support is
arranged for each of the sites and safety auditing is performed during the
research programmes. On the Opwall website (www.opwall.com) for each
country you can find details of the risk management systems, how the expedition
meets and exceeds each clause of the BS8848, the information describing
the support and leadership at each point on the expedition, the medical and
evacuation report along with summary of the accidents and illnesses at each site
in the previous year. Operation Wallacea has a seven point health & safety policy
which is also available online.
Most of our students are not able to pay for the expedition fully. We do
recommend a mixture of looking to personal finance and savings, working in
your holiday time and fundraising effort. With planning and assistance from
Opwall’s fundraising team you should be able to raise a large portion of funds
needed to join. Please contact our office to find out details of a fundraising
meeting at your university or how to catch up if you have missed one. We are
able to give you full support and advice for many fundraising events, activities
and projects including:
■Assistance with both accessing hundreds of charities and applying for
grant funding.
■How to run sponsored activities.
■Details of tried and tested fundraising events and how to make the
most from them.
We also host a raffle enabling you to buy tickets to sell at a profit – 1st Prize is a
brand new car.
CONTENTS
What do we do with the data?4
Academics involved in Operation Wallacea5
How to become involved if you are:
An academic
6
Just wanting research experience
7
Wanting to complete your dissertation
8-9 and 74-75
Interested in gaining credit for joining Operation Wallacea
7
Wanting to complete a Masters by Research or theses project
8-9
Medic:
Medical elective
6
Pre-Med22
Medical staffing, please email [email protected] for further details
Country specific information
Indonesia Research assistant expeditions Dissertation topics - marine
Honduras Research assistant expeditions Dissertation topics – forest Dissertation topics - marine
Peru Research assistant expeditions Dissertation topics 10-19
12
16-19
20-33
22
26-31
31-33
34-39
35
38-39
South Africa Research assistant expeditions Dissertation topics Madagascar Research assistant expeditions Dissertation topics Mexico Research assistant expeditions Dissertation topics – forest & marine
Guyana Research assistant expeditions Dissertation topics Cuba Research assistant expeditions Dissertation topics Transylvania Research assistant expeditions Dissertation topics 40-45
42
44-45
46-53
47-48
50-53
54-59
56
58-59
60-65
62
64-65
66-69
67
69
70-73
71
73
Dissertation summary table
Every available topic linked with broad subject area
74-75
Travel Information, how to book and feedback76-77
Dates78-79
3
HOW ARE THE DATA USED?
The Opwall Trust (Operation Wallacea Trust, Charity Number: 1078362) was
established in 2000 in the UK in order to support activities that could directly
contribute towards the conservation of biodiversity in the areas in which Operation
Wallacea is working. The Opwall surveys produce data that can be used by
conservation managers to more effectively manage the studied areas. However,
despite in many cases having demonstrated an urgent biodiversity need to protect an
area, the data were often not being fully utilised because of the lack of conservation
management funds. Hence the Opwall Trust was created to provide the focus for
funding follow on conservation management interventions at the Opwall study sites.
The Opwall Trust is entirely independent of Operation Wallacea, with no shared
Directors.
This collaboration between a business funded model (Opwall) and a charity (Opwall
Trust) has proved to be a strong symbiotic relationship. The costs of identifying
potential projects to fund and the mechanisms most likely to be successful are all
part of the Opwall funded research programmes so the Opwall Trust does not need
to spend hard won funds on initial project development. Moreover the Opwall annual
biodiversity monitoring programmes produce, free of charge, the data needed to
monitor the success of any conservation management interventions funded by the
Opwall Trust. From the Opwall viewpoint there is little point in collecting biodiversity
data if there is no conservation benefit. Conservation management interventions
cannot be funded just from the tuition fees paid by the participating students so the
follow on funding from the Opwall Trust is essential.
With these advantages one of the main successes of the Opwall Trust has been in
demonstrating how funds can be used cost effectively in developing countries to
ensure wildlife conservation. A distinctive feature of Opwall Trust funded projects is
that they are trying to empower communities and individuals to develop businesses
linked to forest or reef protection. Funding for wildlife conservation projects often
includes provision of alternative income streams but in many cases these alternatives
are not then linked to enhanced protection of the wildlife and habitats. In some cases
this spending results in ‘additional’ rather than ‘alternative’ incomes with the damage
continuing unabated. Where the work of the Opwall Trust is unique is that it has
pioneered the concept of tying business development investment in communities
that agree conservation contracts (Wildlife Conservation Products scheme) or
to fishing licence replacement income (Kaledupa reef fisheries project). Once
individuals or communities have a financial benefit in protecting their wildlife then
the effects can be spectacular.
Conservation Priorities for 2015
The Opwall projects are identifying a number of priorities for funding of conservation
management which cannot all be supported at the same time.
Packaging forests for funding under the REDD+ scheme
The United Nations REDD+ scheme aims to fund governments in developing
countries to ensure they slow or eliminate forest destruction and hence conserve
carbon. This scheme has enormous funding from western governments, but has been
criticised because of corruption and improper compensation to local forest-based
communities. Large non-governmental organisations (NGO’s), with funding from the
corporate sector, have therefore developed a parallel scheme but based on a bottom
up approach (funding local communities rather than governments). The two best
known of these bottom up approaches are the Climate Community and Biodiversity
Assessment Standard and the Natural Forest Standard. The Opwall Trust is funding
the submission of all the Honduras forest data collected by the Opwall teams for
funding under the Natural Forest Standard where after external verification, the natural
capital credits that would be issued up to a value of $2 million can be sold in the
private sector and used to ensure the continuance of the Cusuco Park forests for a 25
year period. In Indonesia where SE Sulawesi is one of the focus areas for 2015 under
the REDD+ scheme, the Opwall data sets for Buton Island are being written up with
funding from the Opwall Trust as a REDD+ application. These applications which are
being completed by postdocs at Queens University Belfast and University of Hull,
describe proposed management plans with financial benefits to local communities to
ensure the long term protection of the carbon stocks and biodiversity of the
target areas.
HOW ARE THE DATA USED?
4
Restoring and managing overfished coral reef fisheries
The Opwall Trust has pioneered a scheme for sustainably managing severely
overfished coral reefs. This involves registration of all those in the local community
who fish, each of whom obtains a fishing licence on registration. Opportunities for
other livelihoods are developed simultaneously and people can then opt to surrender
their fishing licences in return for assistance in establishing a new income stream.
No new fishing licences are conferred, meaning both a gradual reduction in fishing
pressure and a gradual increase in value of the remaining licences. Working with the
Indonesian Government and part-funded by the UK’s Darwin Initiative, the Opwall
Trust has brought this theory to life on the island of Kaledupa in the Wakatobi Marine
National Park which lies in the centre of the Coral Triangle – the areas of reefs that
are the most biologically diverse in the World. In that region the most promising
income-generation method is the extraction of carrageenan (a food thickening agent)
from seaweed, for sale to the global wholesale markets. The Opwall Trust has funded
the development of an extraction process that can be done locally, allowing the key
value-adding step to benefit the people local to the reefs. A scale plant utilising
this process is now being built and assuming this confirms the advantages of the
new process, there are a number of investors interested in building full-scale plants
throughout Indonesia and beyond. The Opwall Trust are working alongside members
of The British Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia and have formed a Special Project
Vehicle (SPV) to ensure that any new plants that are built are linked to offering reef
fishers, who surrender their fishing licences, shares in the carrageenan extraction
plant. Thus those fishers who surrender their fishing licence will have an equivalent
or greater income to that earned from continuing to fish. The full-scale plants should
generate sufficient income to implement the reef fish licence ‘buy outs’ in exchange
for minority shareholdings and reduce reef fishing effort to a level where the fishery
can begin to recover.
Landscape level certification of products
Providing enhanced prices for products produced by communities who have agreed
to protect their local environment is a potentially powerful way to ensure protection
of forests. However, current ethical pricing schemes for products (e.g. Fair Trade,
Rainforest Alliance etc) certify only the environmental impact on the farms on which
products are grown. Within a community there can be farmers who are gaining
enhanced prices for their products under one of these ethical pricing schemes
yet the other parts of the community can be heavily involved in destruction of the
surrounding forests. The Opwall Trust has been funding an extensive consultation
process aimed at certifying products as being of Wildlife Conservation Value if those
products are sourced from producers with a product certification scheme (e.g. Fair
Trade, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ etc) but that the producing farms are also within
areas encompassed by a forest certification scheme (e.g. REDD+, NFS, CCBA). The
existence of an overlapping forest certification scheme ensures there is biodiversity
monitoring of the surrounding forests. Products with both product certification (which
applies to farm management practices) and forest certification (ensures the area of
forest certified is maintained both in terms of carbon stocks and biodiversity value)
could then be marketed as having Wildlife Conservation Value.
Inspiring students about tropical wildlife conservation
School students are the future of both conservation and business, yet the school
curriculum evolves slowly and tends to lack inspiring examples of tropical
biodiversity and conservation. Students typically have little knowledge of tropical
wildlife, and of how conservation can be linked to sustainable development in the
tropics (and beyond). The Opwall Trust has part funded the development of example
data sets from real biodiversity research projects around the world that can be used
as case study exercises in classes. These data sets, known as the Wallace Resource
Library, are proving very popular with over 1,000 schools worldwide now using them
in lessons – motivating more young people to get involved with wildlife conservation.
Additional data sets are being added in 2015 so that there are multiple case
studies on modules such as Ecosystems – Coral Reefs, Ecosystems – Rainforests,
Ecological Survey Techniques, Animal Behaviour and Natural Resource Use &
Sustainability. The data sets are further supported by a poster series designed by the
Opwall Trust and provided free of charge to schools worldwide.
PARTICIPATING ACADEMICS
Operation Wallacea works with specialists in
numerous fields from a range of universities and
institutions around the world. In total there are
more than 200 academics involved in the research
programme. A sample of the academics are listed
below that have been involved in recent years in
the field research programmes, contributing to
publications, supervising PhD students who form
part of the programme or are involved in data
analysis or conservation management outputs from
the research.
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT SCIENTISTS
Dr Julian Clifton - University of Western Australia
Tom Avent - WEI, South Africa
Dr Angela Benson - University of Brighton, UK
Dr Richard Bodmer - University of Kent, UK
Dr Keri Brondo - University of Memphis, USA
Dr Alice Eldridge - University of Sussex, UK
Dr Jeri Fox - University of New England, USA
Chris Majors - Operation Wallacea, Indonesia
Dr Ruth Malleson - Social and Economic Consultant, UK
Professor Aubrey Manning - University of Edinburgh, UK
Dr Wanda McCormick - Moulton College, UK
Dr Zhiming Niu - Asian Development Bank, China
Dr Bob Payne - Lakehead University, Canada
Dr Mika Peck - University of Sussex, UK
Dr Richard Phillips - University of Liverpool, UK
Dr Sarah Pilgrim - University of Essex, UK
Dr Ali Reza - Delta State University, USA
Dr Selina Stead - Newcastle University, UK
Prof Ian Swingland - Operation Wallacea Trust, UK
Dr Chui Ling Tam - Calgary University, Canada
Dr Raquel Thomas - Iwokrama Rainforest Research Centre, Guyana
Helen Tedds - Moulton College, UK
Dr Katharine Vincent - University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Roger Wardle - Consultant on agri-environmental schemes, UK
Dr Atiek Widayati - Northumbria University, UK
Dr Tony Whitten - Flora and Fauna International, UK
Dr Kathy Velander - Napier University, UK
GENETICS, OCEANOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY SCIENTISTS
Dr Kim Hunter - Salisbury University, USA
Sylvie Bardin - University of Ontario institute of Technology, Canada
Dr Stephen Burrows - Clark University, USA
Dr Greg Cowie - University of Edinburgh, UK
Dr Alan Dykes - Kingston University, UK
Barry Ferguson - University of East Anglia, UK
Dr Leanne Hepburn - University of Essex, UK
Dr Tom Horton - SUNY ESF, USA
Dr Ben Horton - Upenn, USA
Dr Richard Hunter - Salisbury University, USA
Dr John Milsom - University College London, UK
Dr Mark Tibbett - University of West Australia
Dr Cathy Walton - University of Manchester, UK
Dr Moyra Wilson - Curtin University, Australia
Dr Sam Rastrick - University of Southampton
Dr Gerd Winterleitner - Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
INVERTEBRATE (TERRESTRIAL AND FRESHWATER) SPECIALISTS
Dr Martin Speight - University of Oxford, UK
Dr George Beccaloni - Natural History Museum London, UK
Dr Sarah Beynon - University of Oxford, UK
Dr Patricia Chow-Fraser - McMaster University, Canada
Professor James Cook - University of Reading, UK
Michael Geiser - Natural History Museum London, UK
Dr Francis Gilbert - University of Nottingham, UK
Andy Godfrey - Consultant Entomologist, UK
Dr Sammy de Grave - Oxford Natural History Museum, UK
Dr Neal Haddaway - Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Dr Ian Hendy - University of Porstmouth, UK
Dr Merlijn Jocque - University of Leuven, Belgium
Dr Mary Kelly-Quinn - University College Dublin, Ireland
Dr Stuart Longhorn - NUI Maynooth, Ireland
Dr Kenneth McCravy - Western Illinois University, USA
Dr José Nuñez-Mino - Bat Conservation Trust, UK
Dr Paul O’Callaghan - University College Dublin, Ireland
Dr Mary Kelly-Quinn - University College Dublin, Ireland
Dr Graham Rotheray - National Museum of Scotland, UK
Dr Simon Segar - University of Reading, UK
Dr Jo-Anne Sewlal - University of the West Indies
Dr Sergiu Torok - BABES-BOLYAI University, Romania
Dr Roy Wiles - University of Glamorgan, UK
Dr Keith Willmott - Florida Museum of Natural History, USA
ORNITHOLOGISTS Dr Tom Martin - University of Hull, UK
Jake Bicknell - DICE, University of Kent, UK
Dr Alan Blackburn - University of Lancaster, UK
Dr Robin Brace - University of Nottingham, UK
Dr Simon Butler - University of Reading, UK
Dr Bruce Byers - Umass Amherst, USA
Dr Hannah Clarke - University of Dundee, UK
Dr Nico Dauphine - University of Georgia, Athens, USA
Dr Nicola Goodship - Wetlands and Wildfowl Trust, UK
Dr Claus Holzapfel - Rutgers - Newark College of Arts and Sciences
Dr Martin Jones - Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
Dr Dave Kelly - Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Paul Leafe - Montgomeryshire County Recorder, UK
Dr Nicola Marples - Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Martin Meads - Sparsholt College, UK
Mark Miller - James Cook University, Australia
Dr Brian O’Shea - North Carolina Natural History Museum, USA
Dr Joel Prashant Jack - Environmental Protection Institute, India
Fabiola Rodriguez - Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras
Dr Wael M Shohdi - Al-Azhar University, Egypt
Cindy Stacier - Dalhousie University, Canada
Matthew White - RSPB, UK
Dr Nurul Winarni - World Conservation Society, Indonesia
Dr Rueven Yosef - Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Israel
HERPETOLOGISTS
Dr Steve Green - Operation Wallacea, UK
Dr Scott Boback - Dickinson College, USA
Tim Colston - University of Mississippi, USA
Dr Jeff Burkhart - University of La Verne, USA
Dr Jacqualyn Eales - University of Bangor, UK
Julius Frazier - California Polytechnic State University
Dr Graeme Gillespie - University of Melbourne, Australia
Monique Holting - Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt, Germany
Jon Kolby - James Cook University, Australia
Dr Scotty Kyle - KZN Ezemvelo, South Africa
Dr Bjorn Lardner - USGS, Guam
Dr Chad Montgomery - Truman State University, USA
Dr Randall Morrison - McDaniel University, USA
Dr Eridani Mulder - Central Queensland University, Australia
Dr Silviu Petrovan - University of Hull, UK
Dr Bob Reed - USGS, Guam
Stephen Roussos - Texas Tech University, USA
Mariano Suarez - Centro Ecologico Akumal, Mexico
BOTANY, PLANT SCIENCES AND FORESTRY SPECIALISTS
Dr Bruce Carlisle - Northumbria University, UK
Dr Harison Andriambelo - Antananarivo University, Madagascar
Dr Gareth Bruce - Glamorgan University, UK
Dr Lu Cai - Beijing Forestry University, China
Dr Jon Cocking - JCA Ltd, UK
Dr Anke Dietzsche - Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Professor Lei Guangchun - Bejing Forestry University, China
Dr Daniel Kelly - Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Dr Grace O’Donovan - Independent ecology consultant, UK
Dr Pascale Poussart - Princeton University, USA
Dr Andrew Powling - University of Portsmouth, UK
Dr Andrew Smith - University of Oxford, UK
Dr Sarah Taylor - University of Keele, UK
Dr Peter Thomas - University of Keele, UK
Dr Clay Trauernicht - University of Hawaii, USA
Caroline Whitefoord - Natural History Museum, UK
Dr Samy Zalat - Nature and Science Foundation for Egypt, Egypt
MARINE SCIENTISTS
Professor Dave Smith - University of Essex, UK
Dr Gabby Ahmadia - World Wildlife Fund, USA
Prof Jorge Angulo Valdes - University of Havana, Cuba
Dr Arthur Anker - Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
Dr Dan Bailey - Natural England, UK
Dr Richard Barnes - University of Cambridge, UK
Professor James Bell - Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Dr Wayne Bennett - University of West Florida, USA
Dr Paul Bologna - Montclair State University, USA
Dr Isabelle Cote - Simon Fraser University, Canada
Professor James Crabbe - University of Bedfordshire, UK
Dr Simon Cragg - Portsmouth University, UK
Dr Leanne Cullen - Cardiff University, UK
Dr Jocelyn Curtis-Quick - Cape Eleuthera Institute, Bahamas
Dr John Eme - University of North Texas, USA
Dr Caine Delacy - University of Western Australia, Australia
Dr Teresa Fernandes - Heriot Watt University UK
Dr Andy Gill - Cranfield Institute, UK
Dr Ben Green - Environment Agency, UK
Dr Emma Hayhurst - University of Glamorgan, UK
Dr Ian Hendy - University of Portsmouth, UK
Dr Sebastian Hennige - Heriot Watt University, UK
Dr Jess Jaxion Harm - University of Vienna, Austria
Dr Magnus Johnson - University of Hull, UK
Dr Tim Johnson - University of Glamorgan, UK
Dr Jamal Jompa - COREMAP, Indonesia
Dr James McDonald - Rutgers University, USA
Dr Steve McMellor - University of Aberdeen, UK
Anastasia Miliou - Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, Greece
Dr Ed Morgan - University of Glamorgan, UK
Huma Pearce - Independent bat consultant
Dr Clare Peddie - University of St Andrews, UK
Dr Alan Pinder - Dalhousie University, Canada
Dr Johanna Polsenberg - US House of Representatives, USA
Dr Niamh Quinn - University of Galway, Ireland
Dr Dai Roberts - Queens University Belfast, UK
Professor Alex Rogers - University of Oxford, UK
Dr Pelayo Salinas de Leon - Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador
Dr James Saunders - St Andrews University, UK
Dr Patric Scaps - University of Perpignon, France
Dr Jon Shrives - Jersey State Fisheries Department, UK
Dr Tim Smith - WEI, South Africa
Dr Edd Stockdale - University of Western Australia, Australia
Dr Dave Suggett - University of Essex, UK
Prof Chris Todd - University of St Andrews, UK
Dr Richard Unsworth - Swansea University, UK
Dr Nerida Wilson - Western Australia Museum, Australia
Dr Kyle Young - Universidad de los Lagos, Chile
MAMMAL SPECIALISTS
Dr Kathy Slater - Operation Wallacea, Mexico
Dr Kirsten Bohn - Florida International University, USA
Dr Mark Bowler - St Andrews University, USA
Professor Mike Bruford - University of Cardiff, USA
Jill Carpenter - Independent bat consultant, UK
Dr Ruth Cox - University of Prince Edward Island, Canada
Dr Hannah Clarke - University of Dundee, UK
Dr Christian Dietz - University of Tuebingen, Germany
Dr Nigel Dunstone - Natural History New Zealand
Dr Sharon Gursky-Doyen - SUNY Stony Brook, USA
Matthew Hallett - University of Mississipi, USA
Dr Abdul Haris Mustari - IPB, Bogor, Indonesia
Dr Justin Hines - Operation Wallacea, Canada
Andrew Jennings - IUCN/SSC Small Carnivore Specialist Group, UK
Jim Jones - Surrey Wildlife Trust, UK
Dr Tigga Kingston - Texas Tech University, USA
Juliet Leadbeater - University of Chester, UK
Dr Burton Lim - Royal Ontario Museum, Canada
Prof Aubrey Manning - University of Edinburgh, UK
Niall McCann - University of Cardiff, UK
Professor Mike Perrin - University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
Dr Rob Pickles - Panthera, USA
Dr Abigail Phillips - University of Birmingham, UK
Dr Nancy Priston - Oxford Brookes University, UK
Professor Ute Radespiel - Hannover Unversity, Germany
Dr Felix Rakotondraparany - Antananarivo University, Madagascar
Dr Osvaldo EricRamires-Bravo - Universidad de America, Puebla, Mexico
Dr Neil Reid - Queens University Belfast, UK
Dario Rivera - University of Queensland, Australia
Dr Steve Rossiter - Queen Mary University of London, UK
Dr Adrian Seymour - Independent wildlife film maker, UK
Dr Myron Shekelle - National University of Singapore, Singapore
Dr Andrew Smith - Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Dr Kym Snarr - University of Toronto, Canada
Dr Peter Taylor - University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
Professor Stewart Thompson - Oxford Brookes University, UK
Dr David Tosh - Queens University Belfast, UK
Jeremy Truscott - Sheffield Biodiversity Steering Group, UK
Ivar Vleut - UNAM, Mexico
Dr Phil Wheeler - University of Hull, UK
Dr C.B Wood - Providence College, USA
Dr Anne Zeller - University of Waterloo, Canada
Heike Zitzer - Pongola Elephant Reserve, South Africa
FISHERIES SCIENTISTS Dr Dan Exton - Operation Wallacea, UK
Dr Dave Bird - University of Western England, UK
Irven Forbes - Environment Agency, UK
Dr Emmanuel Frimpong - Virginia Polytechnic, USA
Professor Tim Gray - Newcastle University, UK
Dr Peter Henderson - University of Oxford, UK
Piotr Kalinowski - Fisheries consultant, UK
Dr Duncan May - Fisheries consultant, UK
Joel Rice - Fisheries consultant, USA
Dr Rodney Rountree - University of Connecticut, USA
Professor Michael Stewart - Troy University, USA
Dr Jason Vokoun - University of Connecticut, USA
Paul Simonin - Cornell University, USA
GIS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
Dr Peter Long - University of Oxford, UK
Dr Craig Beech - Peace Parks Foundation, South Africa
Jesse Blits - University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Oliver Burdekin - BurdGIS, Ecuador
Dr Natalie Cooper - Havard University, USA
Dr Bella Davies - Oxford Brookes University, UK
Dr Richard Field - University of Nottingham, UK
Dr Fiona Hemsley Flint - University of Edinburgh, UK
Dr Alan Jones - University of Sheffield, UK
Dr Marco Lusquinos - Imperial College London, UK
Cristi Malos - Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj, Romania
Dr Gareth Mann - Rhodes University, South Africa
Dr Lisa Manne - CUNY, USA
Dr Peter Randerson - Cardiff University, UK
Dr Eimear Rooney - Queens University Belfast, UK
Dr Allister Smith - Oxford Brookes University, UK
Dr Emily Woollen - University of Edinburgh, UK
Professor Kathy Willis - University of Oxford, UK
5
BENEFITS TO ACADEMICS
Funded research visiting academics
Operation Wallacea operates a visiting academic programme for academics
interested in using our sites to conduct their own research. The Visiting
Academic programme runs from the start of the survey season to 31 July each
summer and is available at all of the sites. Academics participating in this
programme will be designing a long term research programme which can be
carried out by the academic themselves, postdoc students or eventually turned
into a part-funded PhD. The programme is intended to let the academic come
to the research site or sites for a short period to observe the area and facilities
available, meet with the other participating scientists and design a research
project for future years.
The visiting academic program costs US$500 a week, with flights not included.
This cost covers all food, accommodation and transport from the start point of
each expedition within the country, use of equipment, vehicles, boats etc along
with medical and evacuation insurance.
PhD Studentships
Operation Wallacea has already supported or is currently supporting by provision
of part studentships a total of 50 PhD students.
PhD Student Field Research Grants
Operation Wallacea runs a yearly grant programme for PhD students. The
grants are available to PhD students registered at an academic institution. It
is intended to allow that student to come to our sites and conduct their own
research projects for 4 to 8 weeks each summer for multiple years if required.
The research project must fit within the themed research programme for the site,
allow for participation by Operation Wallacea volunteers and be between June
and August each year.
Co-funded PhD positions Operation Wallacea is willing, if the PhD is of major research interest to the site,
to co-fund PhD grant applications to large funding bodies such as Research
Councils, in particular acting as the industrial partner in CASE grants. The
Please contact us if you would like to discuss any of the
programmes listed.
To find out further details about the visiting academic
programme, costings, dates, assistance with booking your
travel or questions about the sites and research potential please
email: [email protected]
ACADEMICS / MEDICAL ELECTIVE
6
academic applying for the grant will be the Principal Supervisor for the PhD
position and Operation Wallacea will provide a co-supervisor with experience of
the subject and working at the site.
Class Visits and Field Courses
Operation Wallacea has developed research centres and facilities at 22 sites
around the world. These research centres are used for our expeditions in the
summer months, a few of them can be open throughout the rest of the year
for independent academic class trips. The set up of the trips is intended to
offer as much flexibility as possible, allowing them to be designed around the
requirements of the class. For example trips can be based at just one site within
a country or move around sampling different habitats, including time in both
forest and marine systems if required. The trips can be run for any length of
time with a simple price structure based on flexibility. All of the sites are set at
a cost of US$800 a week per student, with 10 students covering the cost of a
single academic. Operation Wallacea has developed a number of written courses
with exam material which are used for the training of volunteers joining the
main research programmes. These may be utilised as part of the course being
developed by the academics but the responsibility for developing the academic
course and delivery of the course will be that of the organising academic. Each
country has an agreed start and finish point.
JOINING FOR MEDICAL ELECTIVE PLACEMENT
These placements are for medical students who have completed their 4 year
degrees and are moving into the clinical phase and are designed to give field
experience of expedition medicine. The placements consist of:
■1 week jungle training and Neotropical forest ecology course
■1 week expedition medicine course
■2 week working at different forest camps supporting the doctors at those sites
and helping with the biodiversity assessments
■1 week dive training course on Utila Island
■1 week on reef ecology course on Utila Island and learning about hyperbaric
medicine
■2 weeks helping the marine survey teams at Tela and supporting any medical
issues arising
GAINING COURSE CREDIT AS A RESEARCH ASSISTANT US STUDENTS
JOINING FOR RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
External course credit
If you are from a North American university and are going on expedition for a
minimum of 4 weeks (excluding dive training), all options can be used for credit
by signing up for the distance learning module BL3400 Tropical Research
and Field Study at University of St Andrews, Scotland (cost £600 –
approx. $1000 payable to St Andrews). St Andrews will award 20 course credits
for the 4 weeks (equivalent of 3-4 credits at US universities) and you will receive
a graded transcript that can be used towards your GPA. The credit system
works by completion of an approved training course, followed by three weeks of
research assistant projects or additional training and submission of a research
proposal. Please email us for more information [email protected]
Joining as a Research Assistant
If you are in, or have completed, university level education and have a good level
of English, you can join the expeditions as a research assistant. Relatively few
people have field experience working on real research projects. The Operation
Wallacea programme offers the opportunity to work with a range of academic
teams, to strengthen your CV (resume), or to help you decide whether tropical
field work is of interest for your career. Research assistants are involved in a
wide range of tasks on each research topic and help to gather primary data.
Internal course credit
It is sometimes possible to use an Operation Wallacea expedition to gain credits
from your own university. This is often done through an Independent Study
or Internship program. The amount of credit available will vary depending on
which university you are at and the duration of your expedition. Your university
will often require a piece of work based on your experience to go towards your
Independent Studies or Internship. These vary between institutions but may be in
the form of a presentation or written report.
To choose the best project for you:
To organise gaining credit in this way, you will have to speak to your
academic advisors and often your Study Abroad departments to find out what
they can offer.
At the end of this 8 week period you would have had a range of expedition
medicine experience as well as gaining skills in jungle survival and diving and
having had a range of biodiversity monitoring experiences. Each of the different
medical staff (6- 7) who would have been mentoring you at the various camps
would sign you off as having received relevant experience in different aspects of
expedition medicine. The costs for the 8 week medical elective experience are
£3,900 or $5,600.
■Decide your ideal countries
■Select 2-4 options
■View videos and further project information on our website
■Speak to staff at Opwall for advice, find out which sites still have places
■Book your place and start fundraising
If you have any questions about gaining credit from your university, please email
[email protected]. It is very important that if you are gaining credit in
this way, you email us in advance so we know you are gaining credits, even if
you have no special on site requirements.
For students interested in gaining course credit for their time on expedition,
there are two ways of organising this: (1) signing up for an external course or (2)
gaining internal course credit.
RESEARCH ASSISTANT / COURSE CREDIT
7
JOINING FOR A DISSERTATION OR INDEPENDENT
RESEARCH PROJECT
How to select and complete a dissertation or
independent research project?
This section describes the undergraduate dissertation or independent research
project topics where there is academic support on site and that can be
developed into research questions for dissertations or senior theses. Students
use their time on site to gather data for their undergraduate or Masters level
dissertation or theses. You have the benefit of working in some of these
remote environments while using your summer break to collect data. 92% of
the students doing dissertations with Opwall have gained the top two grades
for their dissertations and some have even won the best dissertation for their
year. In 2014 Tom Gammage was awarded 95% for his dissertation from
Plymouth University, Max Bodmer from Oxford University won best dissertation
from his department. Students from universities such as Princeton, Toronto,
Manchester, Birmingham, Essex and many other Universities have won the best
dissertation in their department for an Opwall based study. One of our students
from Cambridge University won RGS-IBG Biogeography prize for best national
undergraduate dissertation.
The 100+ topics have been listed in their respective countries. There is a
summary table on pages 74-75 listing all of the topics and classifying them
according to topic area (e.g. animal behaviour, marine ecology topics etc).
Each of the topics describe an area of study from which students can develop
their own research questions. For any particular topic a small number of
students can complete studies on different research questions. Some of the
topic areas involve data collected as part of the general monitoring effort.
In such cases, the data-collection sites and methods are fixed, the range of
possible research questions is therefore limited. It does mean that the likely
sample size of the data collected is large, allowing a greater variety of research
questions to be addressed using the data. Other subject areas, which are not part
of the general monitoring effort, allow a much larger range of possible research
questions and flexibility in the planning of the work. The main constraints for
these projects are logistical (vehicles, safety guard cover, dive launches etc).
How do I select a suitable dissertation topic?
■Decide your ideal topics
■Select at least 2-4 topic options
■View videos on our website that relate to each of the topics
■Contact the Opwall disseration support staff for advice
■Book your disseration space*
■Start fundraising
■Consult your university tutor
*If your university refuse your disseration place you are entitled to a full refund of your deposit, an
email from your tutor will be required.
How do I prepare well before coming out to the site?
Once you have decided your preferred topic and booked on to the expedition,
you need to start preparing a draft research proposal. This must be submitted by
28 February to our senior dissertation advisor.
The research plan should contain the following sections:
■a project title
■review of current literature relevant to your project, rationale for your project
and the specific aims and hypotheses of your research
■proposed data collection methods
■how the data will be analysed
■equipment requirements
■reference list
At this stage you also need to talk to your university tutor/advisor to identify
who your internal university supervisor for the research project will be. You
will then be sent a dissertation assessment form that will need to be signed
by your university supervisor. Upon receiving this form and the draft research
proposal, the dissertation support staff, senior dissertation advisor and academic
(who will be providing your specialist supervision in the field) will contact you
with comments on the draft and the practicalities of completing the proposed
DISSERTATIONS / MASTERS BY RESEARCH
8
research. Once you have these comments you can then submit the final research
proposal to us and your internal university supervisor.
Final proposals must be completed before 1 April. If this deadline is missed
Operation Wallacea has the right to refuse you the opportunity to complete a
dissertation or thesis on site. Having agreed your project plan you will then need to complete a risk
assessment for the project. Risk assessments for all generic activities carried
out by Operation Wallacea can be obtained from the Opwall website (www.
opwall.com) so you can complete this task for your specific project. This risk
assessment should also be submitted to your university before departing for
the project.
How will I be supervised in the field?
Once you are on site, the senior scientist will be introduced to you. You will meet
with your specialist field supervisor as well as the senior scientist to discuss
your proposed project plan in detail. You will then be asked to draft a timetable
for the implementation of the project plan which ensures that data are gathered,
any necessary interviews scheduled, background information collected and
spare time built into the timetable to allow for problems. During your field work
you will be supervised on a daily basis by your specialist project supervisor, you
will also have to report on progress regularly to the senior scientist.
What will I be expected to do on site?
Ensure that you give completion of your dissertation or thesis the highest
priority. You will be staying in some of the most beautiful parts of the world
and it is important that you don’t get distracted. It is best to work hard early on
in your stay, complete your research and then if there is spare time at the end,
relax. As a minimum you will need to spend 4 weeks collecting data or 6 weeks
if it is for a Masters. As skills and safety training will take 1–2 weeks, you will
need to stay for 6 weeks although 8 weeks would be better and is essential
for a Masters project. You should enter data, analyse results and start drafting
sections of your dissertation or independent research report during your stay.
Usually when you start writing you realise that there is additional information
that you need to collect and it is typically not possible to gather this information
once you have left site. You will be asked to give a short oral seminar to other
students and staff about your research at the end of your stay and to write a short
report. These are very useful parts of the experience, because of the scientific
feedback obtained and the experience of doing them.
What will I be expected to do when I return to University?
We strongly recommend that you finish writing up your dissertation or
independent research report as soon as you can, while it is still fresh in your
mind. If you leave it for a few months, it is often very difficult to get back into
the detail of the project. You must send a digital copy of your dissertation or
independent research project to Operation Wallacea as soon as it is completed.
This copy is forwarded to various in-country organisations who are interested
in the results of the work and to publish your report on the Operation Wallacea
website. Remember that you are part of a wider project and your results are
needed! Please let the dissertation support staff know your dissertation mark.
MASTERS BY RESEARCH
You will be based in one of the Opwall field sites and have all your food,
accommodation, transport, guides, diving costs etc included in your
costs. Doing a field based Masters has the massive advantage that your
CV (resume) is considerably strengthened by having completed a research
project based in an overseas location as well as having made valuable
friendships and contacts in the wildlife conservation world.
For details (including costs) of Masters by Research projects offered in
South Africa (Oxford Brookes University), Peru (Kent University), Indonesia
marine (Essex University) and Ecuador (Sussex University) see http://
opwall.com/senior-thesis-dissertations/masters-by-research/. Each of
these sites has a portfolio of background papers, data sets and research
questions that have been developed by the Opwall academic teams and the
reserve managers.
Applications need to be made to [email protected] by 15 March.
9
INDONESIA RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND FACILITIES
Forest Research Objectives
The islands of the central part of the Indonesian archipelago are separated from
the islands to the east (Papua) and the west (Borneo) by deep ocean channels.
These deep trenches prevented the central islands of Indonesia from being
joined to the main continental land masses during the lowered sea levels of the
Ice ages. As a result of the long period of isolation, a large number of unique
species evolved. The whole region is now known as the Wallacea region after
the famous Victorian naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, as it was he who first
described the unique fauna. The forests of this Wallacea region are one of the
least studied areas biologically in the world and one of the most likely places to
discover vertebrate species new to science.
Operation Wallacea first started surveying the forests of Buton Island in SE
Sulawesi in 1995. In 2004 these surveys resulted in a US$1 million World Bank/
GEF grant being obtained to establish an example of best practice conservation
management for a lowland forest. This project worked only in the central part
of the island and finished in 2008. An assessment of the various quantifiable
conservation targets showed that 90%+ of the targets had been achieved and in
many cases significantly exceeded.
A second rapid assessment mobile team of local biologists will be examining
the geographical distribution of key species in other parts of SE Sulawesi as a
comparison to the long term study sites.
Marine Research Objectives
There is a triangle of reefs in eastern Indonesia, part of which lies within the
Wallacea region, that have the highest diversity of hard coral genera, the
proxy commonly used to assess overall diversity of coral reefs. Both the
marine research stations being used by the Opwall teams are in the centre of
this triangle.
The south Buton marine research centre has established a series of standard
monitoring sites on reefs south of Bau Bau and on adjacent islands. These are
being monitored annually and it is hoped to use the data to demonstrate that a
number of the reefs in this area are of equal or even higher conservation value
than those within the Wakatobi Biosphere Reserve.
Since that point, Opwall has continued with monitoring the abundance and
diversity of key taxa in both the central and northern forests of Buton Island.
In late 2014 all the Opwall gathered data on the northern and central forests
of Buton is being submitted to the Indonesian REDD Ministry. The report will
describe a suggested management plan for the forests of the whole island, using
some of the successful techniques pioneered in the World Bank/ GEF project.
The Hoga Island marine station is located in the heart of the Wakatobi National
Park. Over the last 20 years a series of scientists have been based at this site
during the Opwall survey seasons and have built up the publications emanating
from the site to a level which is unsurpassed by any other marine research site
in the Coral Triangle. These data and publications have been used to promote
the biodiversity value of the Wakatobi, raise its profile internationally and
in particular enable it to be designated as a Biosphere Reserve. From 2015
onwards, the final stage of the development of this site is being implemented
whereby a long term monitoring programme staffed mainly by Indonesian
marine biologists is being funded by Opwall to check that the biodiversity value
of this site is not declining.
The next stage of the Operation Wallacea programme therefore is to ensure
that an annual monitoring programme across the forests of Buton, on adjacent
islands and mainland areas are completed. Using the tuition fee funded
model but using local biologists rather than bringing in western scientists
each year. In 2015 survey teams led by local biologists will be completing
surveys on the transect network at each of four camps spread across central
and northern Buton. These survey sites have been monitored in previous years
and will provide annual data to assess changes in the biodiversity over time.
For the last 12 years a series of constant monitoring sites around Hoga and
eastern Kaledupa have been monitored for fish communities, coral cover and
community structure and macro-invertebrates and this programme is being
significantly extended with sites ranging from Wanci Island to Tomea. In
addition annual fisheries monitoring is being completed to assess changes in
the fisheries particularly as some of the management initiatives developed by
Opwall (e.g. buy outs of fishing licences and carrageenan extraction) begin to
hopefully have an impact.
INDONESIA
10
Forest Facilities
Northern camps
A biodiversity monitoring camp has been established in the northeast forests
(Wadoburi). This camp has single sex large canvas tents, equipped with camp
beds. Long drop toilets and bucket showers have been installed. The camps
have generators, radio contact between them and satellite communication with
limited email connectivity. Projects at Wadoburi camp in the north are
coded IN.
Southern camp
There is one survey camp in the south of the island at Bala. Accommodation
is in hammocks strung in groups under large tarpaulins. There are long drop
toilets and bucket showers. The camps have generators, radio contact between
them and satellite communication with limited email connectivity. Projects
running in the south of Buton are coded IS.
Rapid biodiversity assessment teams
This is a mobile research team and will be staying in a mix of local houses,
tents or hammocks depending on the facilities available in the 10km square
being surveyed. The mobile team will have a satellite phone and radio contact
with the rest of the teams. Two weeks will be spent on Kabaena Island, two
weeks at a new camp in the north west of Buton and 2 weeks on the mainland
of Sulawesi. Rapid biodiversity assessment projects are coded IR.
Marine facilities
South Buton
This marine centre is next to a large white sand beach on the southern coast
of Buton island close to some of the best reefs in SE Sulawesi on the nearby
offshore islands. Accommodation is in shared rooms with their own bathroom
facilities including western style toilets and showers. There is a large eating and
meeting area, lab facilities for analysis of the video data, email facilities, lecture
area and a fully equipped dive centre with small boats to survey the more
distant reefs. Projects running from this centre are coded IB.
Hoga
Students based at the Hoga Island Marine Station will be living on an idyllic
tropical island surrounded by white sandy beaches and pristine coral reefs.
Traditionally-built wooden houses serve as accommodation on the island and
are complete with their own Indonesian style bathrooms (known as mandis).
The main building contains a large, open-air study area, a computer laboratory,
email, library facilities, eating area, wet and dry lab facilities and a lecture
theatre. There is a fully operational dive centre with survey boats including a
live-aboard ship used for surveys of the more distant sites. Projects running on
Hoga are coded IH.
Malaysia
Malaysia
Equator
Equator
Sumatra
Kalimantan
Sulawesi
Buton
Jakarta
Java
INDONESIA
Makassar
Wallacea Region
11
INDONESIA RESEARCH ASSISTANT OPTIONS
There are limited spaces on the forest research programme so the training
course and survey options described below have been packaged as a series of
4 week expeditions to target effort at the sites needing survey work.
If you want a marine only project then you can still book an expedition for 2, 4, 6
or 8 weeks choosing marine options coded IH.
Please read the expedition options below and then move to the descriptions of
the constituent parts for further information.
Expedition Options
Rapid biodiversity assessment on Kabaena Island
and diving in Bau Bau
Indonesia Expedition 1 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 16 June 2015
This expedition involves working with a rapid biodiversity assessment team
on Kabaena Island for the first two weeks (IR101). Then the group would
move to the biodiversity monitoring project in the forests of south Buton
(IS103). The last week would be spent learning to dive at the Bau Bau
marine site (IB111). This expedition starts and finishes in Bau Bau.
Jungle training, rapid biodiversity assessment and diving on Hoga
Indonesia Expedition 2 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 23 June
Indonesia Expedition 3 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 30 June
This expedition starts with jungle training in south Buton (IS102) with
canopy access training if required. Then the group move north and spend
a week in a remote camp in NW Buton helping with the rapid biodiversity
assessment surveys (IR101). The group will then move to Hoga to
complete dive training (IH110) followed by the reef survey techniques
course (IH112). If you are already dive trained then your third week is
completing the reef survey techniques course (IH112) and then joining the
reef monitoring teams (IH113). The start point for this expedition is Bau
Bau and the finish point is Wanci.
INDONESIA
12
Jungle training, biodiversity monitoring and diving in Bau Bau
Indonesia Expedition 4 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 7 July
This expedition starts with jungle training in south Buton (IS102) with
canopy access training if required. Then the group spend two weeks
helping with the node camp monitoring (IS103). In the last week the group
will move to Bau Bau to complete dive training and reef ecology (IB111).
The expedition starts and finishes in Bau Bau.
Mainland Sulawesi rapid biodiversity assessment and
diving on Hoga
Indonesia Expedition 5 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 14 July
This 4 week expedition starts with joining the rapid biodiversity assessment
team on the mainland of Sulawesi (IR110) for 2 weeks. The group will
then move to Hoga to complete dive training (IH110) followed by the reef
survey techniques course (IH112). If you are already dive trained then your
third week is completing the reef survey techniques course (IH112) and
then joining the reef monitoring teams (IH113). The start point for this
expedition is Kendari and the finish point is Wanci.
Marine expeditions on Hoga Island
If you are just wanting a marine biology experience then you are able to
go to Hoga Island for 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks, starting on any Tuesday from 16
June until 28 July. Choose your own itinerary from the options labelled IH.
Marine expeditions start and finish in Wanci.
Constituent option descriptions
IR101 Rapid assessment biodiversity team
Joining this project will allow you to be part of a small team of Indonesian
biologists that are completing standardised surveys on a range of taxa in
different parts of SE Sulawesi in order to build up a picture of the distribution of
species across the region.The teams will be visiting Kabaena Island, the forests
of north west Buton and the forests of mainland SE Sulawesi. Students booking
onto this option will have on-site training in jungle skills while also receiving
lectures on the wildlife of the Wallacea region and training in the various survey
methods. The teams will be working in a series of temporary camps designed
to give access to a range of habitats across a 10km square. The purpose of
this team is to maximise species records of butterflies, herpetofauna, birds and
mammals.
Scan searches are being completed for reptiles and spotlight surveys run
at night for amphibians. There will be megafauna (large mammal and game
birds) and botany surveys. Joining this team you can expect to be involved in
exploring new sites and habitats and in surveying rare endemic species. There
are limited places on this option since the survey teams have to be kept small
and mobile.
IS102 Jungle training and Wallacea wildlife course in south Buton
This training course is designed to allow you to acclimatise to the forest
environment and give you the field skills to work competently alongside field
scientists in the forest. You will be taught practical survival skills, how to live
and work safely in the forest including how to establish a field camp and what
potentially dangerous organisms to look out for. The course also contains a
series of lectures with practicals to train you in the field survey techniques
being used for different taxa and identification of the more common species.
You will also learn about the ecology of tropical forests and what is so special
about the Wallacea forests. You will be spending the first part of the week at
one of the southern forest camps, followed by a 3 day, 2 night trek through the
forest applying some of the jungle skills you have learnt.
Canopy Access Experience
Running throughout the expedition at multiple forest sites
There is the option to do a half-day course that gives students the
opportunity to learn how to safely ascend into the canopy. One tree in
the north of the island and one in the south has been rigged so it should
be possible at some point during your itinerary to complete this half day
course if you wish. The ascent is done using ascenders (single rope
technique) with an additional safety rope and is a unique opportunity to
experience wildlife in the canopy. This experience costs US$170. You
don’t need to choose the Canopy Access Experience as one of your
options when booking with Opwall.
You will need to pre-book with Canopy Access Limited by booking through
their website www.canopyaccesslimited.co.uk.
IS103 Node camp biodiversity monitoring team in south Buton
In the forest camps on Buton Island there are a series of transects and sample
sites that have been used over a number of years to gather data on key taxa.
Each season these transects and sites are being re-surveyed so that temporal
changes in abundance of key species and community structure of target
taxa can be identified. These temporal data combined with the geographic
data, gained from the rapid biodiversity teams, enable a complete picture
of biodiversity within the forests of SE Sulawesi to be compiled. Students
joining these surveys can change camps each week and since the camps
vary so much in forest types and species this enables a good cross section of
Sulawesi fauna to be seen. Surveys at each site include quantifying the forest
structure, completing bird point count surveys, participating in pitfall trapping
for reptiles and spotlight surveys for amphibians. There are also pollard counts
for the butterflies and long trek surveys for the DISTANCE and patch occupancy
analysis of large mammal abundance. Camera traps have also been set at these
sites and these are often revealing cryptic species that are not picked up on
the transects. In addition harp traps and mist nets are run in the evenings to
quantify bat communities.
13
Marine options
IH110 PADI Open Water dive training and reef ecology on Hoga
Runs every week from 16 June – 28 July
This one-week course is a prerequisite to any diving project. Open Water
dive training is included for Operation Wallacea volunteers. Additional costs
however are the PADI registration card and the Open Water Crew Pack, which
you need to buy and bring with you. Completion of this course will give you
an internationally recognised diving qualification and enable you to join
general diving projects accompanied by a Divemaster. It is required that all
students have completed the theory elements of the course before they arrive
on site either by completing the course on line or by reading the manual and
completing the knowledge review. This allows you to spend any spare time
working on completing a reef ecology course, rather than dive theory, which
will provide useful background material when participating in the monitoring
programme.
IB111 PADI Open Water dive training and reef ecology in Bau Bau
Runs every week from 16 June – 28 July
As for IH110 but run at the Bau Bau marine site.
Additional dive training
Additional dive training beyond Open Water level is available and can be
fitted around your work on other projects; you do not need to specify the
additional courses on your options list. Courses include Advanced Open
Water Diver ($220), Emergency First Response ($150) or Rescue Diver
($400 - includes Emergency First Response). These extra courses may
not be available at all times and enrollment may depend on the number of
people wanting the training. There will be a Rescue Diver course in week
2 for any of those divers needing this qualification before moving onto the
Divemaster course. All prices listed are in US dollars.
INDONESIA
14
IH112 Reef survey techniques training on Hoga
Runs every week from 16 June – 4 August; must be dive trained
This week long course is designed to give practical training in the survey
techniques being used. Students will learn how to collect stereo video data
on the fish communities and how to analyse those data in the lab. A large
proportion of this course concentrates on learning to identify the reef fish
commonly encountered on the surveys. In addition the students will learn how
to complete video line intercept transects and how to analyse the footage to
determine coral cover and coral community structure. In addition training will
be given on belt transect surveys for macro-invertebrates and how to complete
these effectively. Each part of the course (stereo video surveys of fish, line
intercept video surveys and macro-invertebrate belt transects) will have tests
with high marks required in order to pass.
IH113 Reef survey monitoring team
Runs every week from 23 June – 4 August; must be dive trained, have
completed IH112 including passing the relevant part of the Reef Survey
Techniques course
There is an extensive network of monitoring sites around Hoga, the eastern side
of Kaledupa, and the larger island of Buton. These reefs can be accessed by
speedboat from the island of Hoga, from a live-aboard dive boat operating on
2-3 day data collection cruises, or from the marine research and training base
in Bau Bau, on Buton Island. You will be assigned to one of these locations
once you get out to site. At each site 3 replicate transects on the reef flat,
reef crest and 5m below the reef crest have been established. Students must
pass the relevant parts of the reef survey techniques course (e.g. stereo video,
line intercept video or macro-invertebrate belt transect) in order to help the
biologists leading each of these surveys. It is better if you can specialise in one
of the survey types so that you can gain a good working knowledge of the survey
techniques and species and can make a contribution to the surveys rather than
just learning from the biologist.
IH114 Research Assistant Pool
Runs from 23 June – 4 August; need to have completed IH112 if surveys
can be done by snorkelling but if you wish to participate in the dive
elements, you will need to be dive trained or have completed IH110
There are many different marine and conservation projects running on Hoga
Island including dive-based projects, snorkelling projects, shallow sub-tidal
projects, inter-tidal projects, and research projects focused within the mangrove
forests. On arrival at the field base, you will be introduced to the range of
projects that are underway and allocated to an Indonesian marine biologist
whose specific responsibility is to line you up with projects that need assistance
and match your specific or general interest. Joining the research assistant pool
maximises your opportunities to widen your knowledge of marine biology whilst
also allowing you to increase your specialist knowledge in specific areas.
IH115 Wakatobi Culture, Community and Environment
Runs from 16 June – 14 July
This course gives a unique insight into rural Indonesian life on remote islands
and the opportunity to experience what it is like to work on a local farm, how to
fish in a dugout canoe, and how to prepare Indonesian food. Along with these
activities, there will be lectures covering topics that range from Indonesian
language (you should be able to speak some Indonesian by the end of the
course), Indonesian culture and history of the area, as well as introducing you to
the marine conservation, development, resource management and eco-tourism
issues that are considered significant to the Wakatobi. The course comprises
lectures at the Hoga research base and day trips around the island of Kaledupa.
IH116 Fisheries surveys of Kaledupa Island
Runs from 23 June – 14 July; must have completed IH112
There are existing data sets on catches per unit effort for fishing techniques
such as fish fences, bubu traps and gill nets used around Kaledupa going back
over 10 years. These data together with analysis of the size composition of the
catches revealed that the reefs were being heavily overfished. This led to the
development of a fisheries registration scheme and the concept of buying out
some of the fishing effort to allow the fishery to recover. The buy outs have
not yet started and are linked to development of a carrageenan extraction plant
where fishers will be offered shares in exchange for surrendering their fishing
licences. Data gathered in 2015 should reveal the state of the fishery just before
the buy outs begin. This project will involve boat trips to surrounding islands
and villages including sea gipsy villages and give you the opportunity to learn
how Indonesian coastal communities function.
IH117 Divemaster training
16 June or 14 July
Divemaster training is available free to Operation Wallacea volunteers, with
only PADI membership fees and liability insurance costs to pay. Participants
will have to set aside four weeks for this course. Before booking this course
you need to be a qualified rescue diver with up to date Emergency First
Responder (EFR) training, have a minimum of 60 logged dives, and should
contact Operation Wallacea for a detailed list of kit you will need to bring on
expedition. Divemasters trained with Opwall are often offered the opportunity to
be employed as a member of the dive staff team in future years. Unfortunately,
it is not possible to offer work placements in the same year you qualify because
of the time required to pass the course and obtain your full PADI Divemaster
registration and insurance needed.
15
INDONESIA DISSERTATIONS
IH201 Competition within and between the dominant
coral reef benthic taxa
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to have completed dive training
and IH112
As reefs around the world face increasing anthropogenic stress and the
abundance of Scleractinians (hard corals) decline, there is the potential for
increased abundance of other spatially competitive benthic taxa (or more
resilient Scleractinians). Phase shifts from coral-to-algal –dominated reefs have
been well documented in the Caribbean but so far this has not been observed
in the Wakatobi despite significant declines in Scleractinian coral. Alternatively
the most degraded reefs surrounding Hoga Island have experienced an increase
in an aggressive colonial ascidian and a smothering sheet-like sponge. These
two alternative spatial competitors are members of the five most dominant
spatially competitive sessile taxa on Indo-Pacific reefs; Scleractinian corals,
Alcyonacean corals (soft corals), Porifera (sponges), Ascidians (tunicates) and
Algae. Significant spatial competition occurs both between and within these
taxa and is a considerably important mechanism influencing the community
structure of coral reefs. Given the potential for shifts to alternative stable states
to dramatically alter the ecology of the system by decreasing biological and
physical complexity, it is vitally important that more research is conducted
into competitive interactions within and between reef benthic taxa. This project
will investigate the spatial associations, potential competitive interactions and
outcomes amongst the five dominant reef benthic taxa and assess how coral reef
function may change as a result of changes in abundance of these taxa.
IH202 The abundance, diversity and distribution
of Nudibranchs in Indonesia
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to have completed dive training
and IH112
Molluscs are the most abundant group of animals on coral reefs, comprising
up to 60% of all marine invertebrate species. Nudibranchs are one of the most
diverse groups within the phylum but ecological knowledge of these charismatic
species and specifically data concerning their true diversity, abundance and
distribution is very limited. Studies into the extremely photogenic Nudibranchs
are of critical importance to the Wakatobi, which is increasingly becoming
recognised as one of the best coral reef dive sites in the world particularly for
underwater photographers. Unfortunately before Operation Wallacea established
their research facility on Hoga Island, an expedition team removed many
specimens for museum collections and since that point numbers have been
low. However anecdotal evidence suggests that populations are recovering and
now represents the perfect opportunity to gain a much greater understanding of
the ecological needs of Nudibranch species, their habitat preference, feeding
ecology and those factors that drive their distribution as well as abundance. Due
to their life history traits such as low fecundity and low dispersion, Nudibranchs
are not very resilient and thus detailed knowledge of their ecology is needed so
group specific conservation strategies can be produced and recommendations
made to marine park authorities.
INDONESIA DISSERTATIONS
16
IH203 The ecology of Anemonefish in Indonesia
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to complete dive training,
if incorporating a diving element and IH112
One of the more conspicuous groups of fish on tropical reefs are the anemone
fish. Anemone fish are collected for the aquarium trade and depend entirely
on the presence of host anemones. This mutualistic relationship is well known
but preliminary investigations within the Wakatobi suggest that co-existence
between different species of anemone fish within a single host is more common
than in other areas of the world. A deeper understanding of coexistence along
with the factors that influence the distribution of host anemones is required.
Observations also suggest that within a single host anemone different species of
fish may separate themselves in space and utilise different parts of the anemone
thereby reducing competition and aggressive interactions. The dominant species
of fish appear to occupy more of the host anemone when compared to less
aggressive species or a species that has arrived at the anemone after the original
occupying species. Thus there is much to address within this research area and
generally speaking there is a data gap in this bioregion. Research could include
detailed investigations in to the factors that drive the abundance and distribution
of anemone hosts, and patterns of coexistence across sites with different host
availability along with studies that examine the intricacies of the coexistence and
the apparent sharing of host resources.
IH204 The behaviour and functional role of reef fish cleaners
in Indonesia
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to complete dive training,
if incorporating a diving element and IH112
Cleaner fish play an important role on coral reefs around the world. Recent
studies have shown that the health of reef fish and the biodiversity of reef
systems increase when cleaners are abundant. The Wakatobi Marine National
Park is unusual in that three species of cleaner wrasse are present on its reefs.
The most abundant is the Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse Labroides dimidiatus,
which has been fairly well studied but much less effort has focused on the
ecology of the other two cleaner wrasse species; the Blackspot Cleaner Wrasse
Labroides pectoralis and the Bicolor Cleaner Wrasse Labroides bicolor. This
project could be divided into a number of different studies that aim to fully
characterise the ecology of the different cleaner species whilst also evaluating
the role they play on reefs of different quality. In particular studies could
compare the clients of the different species and whether or not the relative
importance of the different species, in terms of service provision, changes with
environmental conditions and fish assemblage. Long-term monitoring data is
available that could also be used to examine how the abundance of the different
cleaners has changed over time possibly in relation to changes in habitat quality
and total fish richness and abundance.
IH205 The ecology and biology of shallow subtidal patch reefs
in Indonesia
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to complete dive training,
if incorporating a diving element and IH112
How stable are reef communities over time? What changes are occurring and
over what time scales? What are the responses of fish communities to changes
in benthic cover? Coral reefs are dynamic ecosystems and may actually exist
in multiple stable states. Permanent transects have been used to successfully
document changes in benthic cover, but assessing changes in mobile
organisms are more difficult. However, smaller patch reefs sometimes referred to
as bommies provide an ideal template to evaluate changes in mobile organisms,
as they tend to house a greater number of resident species. Coral patch reefs
situated in lagoonal areas backward of the main reefs may also facilitate the daily
migration of reef fish to other coastal habitats such as seagrass and mangrove
forests. Consequently and apart from being an ideal model system to investigate
the drivers of reef biodiversity, these patch reefs are of major ecological importance.
Several projects could be developed in this field to assess the ecological and
functional roles of such patch reefs, and also to identify the key environmental
and biological drivers of patch reef biodiversity. This research is increasingly
becoming more important as such patch reefs are often targeted for coral mining
activities and are therefore at real threat from human induced degradation.
IH206 Seagrass ecology of the Wakatobi
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to complete IH112
Seagrass beds of the Wakatobi are amongst the most diverse on the planet and
provide many important ecosystem services, yet remain poorly understood. A
healthy and productive seagrass bed is extremely important for connected reef
systems as they provide refuge and nursery grounds for reef and economically
valuable fish; they also entrap sediments which may otherwise smother
reef organisms. The majority of tropical coastal research is focused on reef
systems and there is a great need to bring the importance and potential local
threats to ecosystem health of seagrass beds to the attention of management
authorities. Several studies may focus on community structure and diversity
of seagrass beds across several sites within the Wakatobi, their standing
biomass, associated biodiversity and fish biomass. Another project could
focus on the importance of patch reefs as stepping stones enhancing the
connectivity between reef and mangrove habitats. Importantly and to ensure
that the importance of seagrass beds are fully understood by local authorities,
participants may wish to determine impacts of local pressures such as fish
fences and agar farms on seagrass ecosystems and thereby evaluate the severity
of the pressures faced by these practices.
IH207 Environmental impact and feeding habits of the Crown of thorns
starfish Acanthaster planci
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to complete IH112
Acanthaster planci are corallivores and voracious predators of coral reef
ecosystems, spending approximately half their lifetime feeding. An individual
adult is able to feed continuously for up to 9 hours at a time by extruding its
stomach inside-out over coral polyps. Despite this insatiable feeding technique
a healthy coral reef with around 50% coral cover can sustain between 20-30
individuals ha-1, however outbreak densities of up to 1000 ha-1, can destroy
a reef system in months. Due to the potentially destructive nature of A. planci
it is very important to establish the extent to which the starfish is affecting
reefs within the Wakatobi. Baseline surveys performed in 2011 and 2014
have shown that A. planci populations in the Wakatobi can vary dramatically
in abundance temporally; therefore it is essential to regularly monitor these
populations to define any outbreak events. This can be achieved by assessing
current population densities in relation to previous A. planci surveys and through
monitoring their feeding habits and destructive potential. This study will involve
diving or snorkelling based population surveys combined with behavioural
investigations aimed at identifying the most favoured coral prey and therefore the
species of coral that are most at threatened by the starfish within the Wakatobi.
IH208 The physical and biological structure of coral reef systems
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to have completed dive training and IH112
Coral reefs are the most biodiverse marine systems which is largely due to
the physical complexity of the habitat. Many different taxa add to the complex
structures that characterise reefs but the predominant reef builders are the hard
corals. Hard coral colonies are highly variable in both size and shape. This is
in part a species-specific trait but is also environmentally regulated. Under
different environmental conditions, such as light and exposure, colonies grow
in different shapes and thus the physical complexity of a reef varies greatly. The
variable complexity provides diverse habitats for the numerous species that live
on a reef system and the higher the physical complexity the more diverse the
biological community. Unfortunately due to numerous factors such as reduced
water quality and high sedimentation and turbidity, coral reefs around the world
are becoming less complex and generally flatter. We know that such changes
will negatively impact biodiversity but we as yet do not know which species will
be most affected and how the functional ecology of reef systems will change.
Numerous studies could be implemented under this topic including both small
and large spatial scale surveys, characterisation and environmental regulation of
reef architecture, the association between reef complexity and fish biodiversity,
as well as the functional ecology of fish communities existing within reefs of
different complexities. We must better understand the consequences of a global
reduction in the physical complexity of reef systems and in particular how
biodiversity, the functional ecology and fish biomass will be affected.
17
IH209 Adaptations of cephalopods to extreme environments
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to complete IH112
Dwarf cuttlefish and pigmy squid are renowned for their intelligence and
complex behaviours. As key predators, they shape the density and diversity of
crustacean populations in the shallow intertidal waters of the Wakatobi Marine
National Park. Both cephalopods can be found in areas prone to severe shifts
in temperature, salinity and oxygen, yet surprisingly little is known about the
physiological adaptations that allow the molluscs to survive such a wide range
of environmental extremes. Dissertation projects will address questions related
to habitat utilisation, and effects of changing environmental conditions on
population distribution and carrying capacity, by quantifying physiological and/
or metabolic responses to abiotic extremes experienced in their environment.
The results will provide important information into the adaptations used by
shallow-water cephalopods to survive capricious environments, as well as aid in
developing effective conservation and management strategies.
IH210 Life in two worlds: adaptations of amphibious fishes
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to complete IH112
Mangrove habitats on Kaledupa and Hoga Island are home to almost a dozen
species of amphibious air-breathing fishes. Remarkably, these fishes are able
to emerge from their pool environments and remain out for extended periods
of time. In some species, such as the mudskippers, the fish may spend more
time on land than in water. Air-breathing fish have many unique and unusual
physiological and behavioural adaptations that allow them to live in two very
different worlds. Because of their close association with sediment, water and air,
these fishes are also sensitive indicators of perturbations in the mangal habitat.
Dissertation studies can focus on several questions such as determining thermal
ecology or water balance limits to better understand the range of adaptations
between different groups, or predict how air-breathing fish populations may
change as climate shifts become more extreme and mangal habitats become
dryer and hotter.
IH211 The eco-physiology of juvenile reef fish
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to complete IH112
The reefs surrounding Hoga Island off southeast Sulawesi are some of the most
beautiful in the world, and are home to hundreds of reef fish species. Ironically,
several reef fishes spend the first part of their lives in seagrass or mangrove
nursery habitats where conditions are very different from the reef. Perhaps it
is not surprisingly therefore, that the physiology of juvenile fishes can differ
greatly from adults. Many previous studies have spotlighted adaptive differences
between adult reef species, but far fewer have focused on ontogenetic
changes in physiology of reef species. Dissertation studies aim to improve
our understanding of this often overlooked area of investigation by quantifying
physiological tolerance and metabolic changes that occur as juveniles recruit to
the reef environment.
INDONESIA DISSERTATIONS
18
IH212 Can animals already living at extreme temperatures survive
climate change?
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to complete IH112
Fishes and invertebrates living in tidally influenced seagrass or mangrove
habitats experience extreme and often arbitrary shifts in water temperature
as tidal and insolation patterns change over time. Add to this, the fact that
some climate models predict an increase of up to 4°C in the western Pacific,
and it becomes clear that some thermally-sensitive species may be at risk
of extirpation. Indeed, previous studies suggest that some intertidal species
are already living at temperatures near their upper thermal limit. It’s likely
therefore that some groups may be extirpated from part or all of their range as
sea surface temperatures increase over the coming decades, whereas others
may be unaffected. The resulting shift in community structure could have far
reaching ecological consequences. Unfortunately, relatively little is known
about the thermal ecology of most intertidal animals or how they may fare
under a more extreme environmental thermal regimen. Dissertation studies
quantifying thermal tolerance or capacity acclimation limits of important species
(e.g. top predators or forage species) or keystone groups (e.g. damselfish or
cephalopods) are necessary to assess how well adapted these groups are to
changing temperatures. In addition, thermal profiles of mangrove/seagrass
areas can be mapped, and the data merged with tolerance data to identify fish
groups most likely to be impacted by rising sea temperatures. The results can
provide important insights into the ecological changes that may occur in shallow
intertidal regions as sea surface temperatures increase.
IH213 Thermal induced rapid coral mortality in Indonesia
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to complete dive training,
if incorporating a diving element and IH112
Coral reefs are perhaps the most sensitive and important ecosystems on planet
Earth. With threats of global climate change, ocean acidification, and increased
human impacts, it is predicted that as many as 33% of coral species will
become extinct in the wild over the next 50 years. Some coral species are likely
to be more eurythermic (i.e. survive over a wide range of temperatures) than
others; however, empirical data on acute thermal mortality of coral from periodic
natural events (e.g. during El Niño years) are largely lacking. Dissertation
projects comparing key coral species from a range of sites could be useful in
predicting how temperature extremes may affect the biological and physical
structure of reef systems. While the experimental component of the research
would be laboratory based, researchers may also find it useful to include diving/
snorkelling reef survey in their results.
IH215 Fisheries of the Wakatobi
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to complete IH112
Coral reefs are amongst the most productive marine ecosystems and this
productivity supports essential fisheries. 60% of coral reefs are now considered
to be overexploited and non-sustainable extraction of fish is one of the major
threats to reefs around the world. The population of the Wakatobi are highly
dependent on local fisheries and thus there is an urgent need to understand the
characteristics of all fisheries activities. A number of different techniques are
used and the environmental impacts of these activities probably vary greatly.
Some techniques appear to be extremely detrimental to the viability of fringing
coral reefs, for example, the use of fish fences. Fish fences are located within
shallow subtidal environments and capitalize on the diurnal, tidal and ontogenic
migrations of fish that move between mangrove, seagrass and reef habitats. Due
to their positioning and structure, a large percentage of their catch are juveniles
and they are unselective in terms of the species they catch. Bylaws have been
established that regulate the size of fish fences, their density and mesh size but
the extent to which fishermen are complying with these regulations is unknown.
Furthermore, and unlike many other fisheries practices, the only significant
economic outlay for this activity occurs at the time of construction and the
passive nature of the activity means that once built there are limited ongoing
costs. Consequently fish fences remain economically viable even when stocks
are extremely low and yield little financial return. Therefore this technique has
the potential to bring about total ecological collapse. There is a need to better
understand all of the fisheries activities within the Wakatobi and in particular to
evaluate the environmental impact and sustainability of activities.
IH214 Metabolic and thermal adaptations of fiddler crabs living in
Indonesian mangal habitats
Start date: 16 June or 30 June; need to complete IH112
Wakatobi Marine National Park has the highest known biodiversity of fiddler
crabs in the world. The crabs are abundant in muddy intertidal zones where they
can occur at extremely high densities. By reprocessing sediments and acting
as a food source to other mangal residents, fiddler crabs play a crucial role
in shaping nutrient cycling of mangrove forests and mud flats. Whereas most
ectothermic organisms avoid sudden exposure to high temperatures, fiddler
crabs are often emerging during midday low tide when air temperatures can
exceed 40°C. To date only two papers have looked at metabolic responses of
fiddler crabs exposed to rapid temperature changes, and none have evaluated
thermal tolerance or acclimation dynamics in this interesting group of
crustaceans. Dissertation projects in this area could focus on between-species
comparisons of bioenergetic or thermal adaptations of fiddler crabs from
differing locations in the intertidal zones. The results would elucidate factors
that may shape distribution and movement patterns of fiddler crabs from
tropical habitats.
19
HONDURAS RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND FACILITIES
Forest Research Objectives
The forests of Central America are some of the most species diverse forests
in the World partly because they are the meeting point of two great faunas –
those from North America and those from South America which had evolved
separately. Around 3 million years ago the land bridge that is now Central
America began to form and the two faunas began to intermingle.
Many of these forests have been badly damaged but there is a proposal to join
currently discontinuous areas of forest into a continuous Meso American forest
corridor. This would run from the forests of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico
(where there are other Opwall teams) to the forests of Panama. Part of this
corridor will be the cloud forests of Cusuco National park in Honduras, however,
this area of forest has suffered some significant deforestation. The Opwall
survey teams have been working in Cusuco Park forests since 2004 and the data
produced has resulted in the Park being listed in the top 100 most irreplaceable
forest sites in the World from a review of 173,000 protected areas worldwide.
By the end of 2014 all the data collected by the Opwall teams should have been
summarised into a report using the Natural Forest Standard guidelines. This
report will then be independently verified and once completed, natural capital
credits are issued. These can be sold by the Honduras Forestry Department
to multi-national companies wishing to offset their carbon emissions while at
the same time helping to protect biodiversity. Funding raised in this way can
then be used to manage and protect the Park. By 2015 this funding application
should be going through verification in anticipation of the natural capital credits
issued under the scheme being offered for sale. The role of the Opwall teams is
therefore to complete annual surveys of the key biodiversity taxa to monitor and
assess change.
Marine Research Objectives
In the Caribbean there are a number of core issues that have been affecting the
biodiversity of the reefs. Some major concerns include: the mass mortality
of keystone sea urchins that have allowed algal colonisation of reef areas; an
invasive species originally from the Indo-Pacific (lionfish) that acts as a predator
HONDURAS
20
on reef fish spreading across the Caribbean; overfishing of reef fish by local
communities. Opwall has a series of monitoring sites around the Caribbean
and two of those monitoring sites are in Honduras. One is on the island reefs
of Utila, the second on the coastal barrier reef of Tela. The island of Utila is
used to represent a typical modern Caribbean reef, whereas the mainland bay of
Tela offers an alternative type of reef ecosystem. They combine to help Opwall
scientists explore the best ways to protect coral reefs throughout the region.
At both sites, teams of Opwall scientists and students collect annual monitoring
data to assess temporal patterns of ecosystem change. Also, novel research is
being conducted to address key management priorities and gaps in our current
understanding of tropical marine coastal ecosystem function.
Forest facilities
Cusuco National Park
A number of camps have been established across Cusuco National Park, where
survey teams are based. From each of these camps, up to four sampling lines
(transects) radiate out and sampling points are located along them to ensure that
most of the Park is surveyed each year. On the eastern side of the Park, 4-wheel
drive vehicles can access the main Base Camp. Accommodation at Base Camp
is in tents and there are toilets and showers. There is a wireless networked
computer system with an internet link at Base Camp (although access to the
internet is limited), this is where all the data from the various survey teams are
collated. In addition, there are DNA extraction, amplification and visualisation
facilities. From Base Camp, teams can access five core zone fly camps across
the Park. These are for people who want to experience living deep in the forest,
sleeping in hammocks or tents (depending on availability) and with the river as
your shower facility. About 1 hour below Base Camp, along the 4-wheel drive
track, lies the buffer zone village of Buenos Aires. Accommodation is in local
houses at this site, which gives you the chance to experience living in
a Honduran mountain community. Projects run in Cusuco National Park are
labelled HM.
Marine facilities
Utila
The Utila Marine Research Centre is based at Coral View, on the south coast of
the island around 30 minutes outside Utila Town. Accommodation is in shared
rooms with fans, away from the main tourism centre. It is situated between some
of the best reefs and the largest mangrove-lined lagoon system on the island.
Coral View is run by a local Utilan family, who have built in conjunction with
Operation Wallacea, a well equipped dive and environmental monitoring field
lab. The Coral View home reef can be accessed from the jetty at Coral View.
The research centre has a number of dive boats that can be used to access the
remaining reefs, which range from being designated as a Marine Protected Area,
to those having no protection and with substantial fishing pressure. All projects
based on Utila are coded HU.
Tela
The Bay of Tela is situated between the national parks of Punta Sal and Punto
Isopo. Honduras Shores Plantation is located on the beach in the Bay of Tela
just outside a small Garifuna community called San Juan. The plantation is
located between the sea and a small lagoon which connects to some of the
larger lagoons in the area. There is no swimming in the larger lagoons as there
are regular sightings of crocodiles! Accommodation is in dormitory style rooms
set back from the beach on a private development. There is a small dive centre,
swimming pool and lecture facilities in the adjacent hotel. All diving is by boat
on the offshore reef system of Banco Capiro, with mangroves reached by a
combination of kayaks and a small boat. Projects based at Tela are coded HT.
21
HONDURAS RESEARCH ASSISTANT OPTIONS
Due to limited spaces on the forest research programme in some weeks, the
training course and survey options described below have been packaged as
a series of 2 or 4 week expeditions to target effort at the sites. If you want a
marine only project then you can still book an expedition of 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks
and choose from the marine options. Please read the expedition options below
and then move to the descriptions of the constituent parts below for further
information.
Expedition options
Jungle training, biodiversity survey and diving
Honduras Expedition 1 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 10 June
Honduras Expedition 2 Length: 4 weeks Start date: 17 June
This expedition starts with a Neotropical forest ecology and jungle training
course (HM101).The next three weeks willl be spent helping establish a
new research camp in Cusuco Park, where you will install transects and
complete the first biodiversity surveys (HM102). Then the group will move
to Utila Island and complete a dive training course (HU103) followed by a
Caribbean reef ecology course (HU106). If already dive trained then these
two weeks will be spent completing the Caribbean reef ecology course
(HU106) followed by a week helping with the stereo video reef fish surveys
and other reef monitoring activities (HU110).For those not wanting to
dive then they would complete the Caribbean reef ecology course with
the practicals by snorkelling (HU107) and then spend a week helping
on snorkel and mangrove based projects in the research assistant pool
(HU111). This expedition starts in San Pedro Sula and finishes in La Ceiba.
Jungle training, biodiversity survey and trek across Cusuco Park
Honduras Expedition 3 Length: 4 weeks Start date: 17 June
Honduras Expedition 4 Length: 4 weeks Start date: 24 June
This expedition starts with a jungle training and Neotropical forest ecology
course (HM101). The survey teams will then spend the next three weeks
completing the biodiversity annual surveys at the most remote camps
established in Cusuco Park (Cantiles, Danto and Cortecito). This expedition
will involve trekking right across the Cusuco National Park and is a great
way to study the flora and fauna of cloud forests. This expedition starts and
finishes in San Pedro Sula.
Jungle training and biodiversity survey
Honduras Expedition 5 Length: 2 weeks Start date: 15 July
This expedition starts with a jungle training and Neotropical forest ecology
course (HM101). For the second week the teams will be helping on a wide
range of biodiversity surveys (HM102). This expedition starts and finishes
in San Pedro Sula.
Marine expeditions at Utila or Tela
If you are wanting a marine biology only expedition then you are able to go
to the Utila Island or the Tela research centres for 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks from
17 June onwards, and build your own itinerary from the options labelled
HU, HT or HB. Marine expeditions start and finish in La Ceiba or Tela,
depending on which site you are visiting.
HONDURAS
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Expedition Medicine Experiential Course for Pre-Meds
Honduras Expedition 6 Length: 4 weeks Start date: 10 June
Honduras Expedition 7 Length: 4 weeks Start date: 24 June
This expedition is aimed at giving Pre-Med students the best experience in
how to provide medical support to teams working on expeditions in some
of the most remote areas. The first 3 weeks of the course are run in Cusuco
National Park cloud forest with the final week at the marine research centre
on Utila Island.
The Expedition Medicine experiential course provides formal teaching in
the form of interactive lectures (core knowledge) coupled with mentorship
by doctors working out in the field in various sites to gain experience
in clinical diagnosis and treatment. The mentors will provide individual
assessments for each of the students at the end of the placement. The
course does not provide training in expedition medicine that can then be
used as a qualification to practice expedition medicine. During week 1, the
group complete the jungle training and Neotropical forest ecology course
(HM101) enabling you to become accustomed to the forest conditions and
the type of research being conducted. In week 2 the group will complete
a training course in expedition medicine which will cover pre-expedition
planning (e.g. how to identify risks, developing emergency evacuation
plans), medical emergencies and trauma in the field (anaphylaxis, asthma,
diabetic emergencies, heat & dehydration, gastroenteritis and hygiene),
tropical infections (e.g. malaria, rabies, dengue fever and DHF), and snake
bite and envenomation procedures. In week 3, students will be spread
amongst the various core and buffer zone research camps in Cusuco Park
in pairs to work alongside the medic at each of the sites. Generally, from
a medical viewpoint there is not too much to do at these camps, so most
of the time will be spent helping on the biodiversity surveys (HM102). In
week 4, the group will move to Utila Island where they will be completing a
PADI Open Water dive training course (HU103) or doing the Caribbean reef
ecology course if already qualified (HU106). During this week, they may
have the chance to visit a hyperbaric chamber. This expedition starts in San
Pedro Sula and finishes in La Ceiba.
Constituent parts of forest expedition packages
HM101 Neo-tropical Forest Ecology and Jungle Training
This one week course comprises a series of seven lectures and associated
practical exercises. This is to provide an introduction to tropical forest ecology,
conservation biology and biodiversity monitoring techniques for flora and
fauna. The lecture series will deliver up-to-date research results from the
various scientific teams that have been working in Cusuco National Park. Topics
including species distributional modelling; using commonly used techniques
such as MAXENT, population genetics, using stable isotope to determine
trophic ecology of species and estimating species richness by using genetic
bar coding to describe new species.
The course will also involve trekking to and camping in a number of different
forest locations. The course teaches participants basic jungle survival skills,
such as how to select a suitable camp site with minimum impact on the
environment, where to find food and water in the forest, how to build natural
shelters and orientation skills. By the end of this course, students will
understand the research aims of the expedition, the ecology of the key taxa we
are monitoring, be trained in the data collection methods they will use while
assisting scientists with data collection and will know how to operate safely and
healthily in remote forest areas.
Canopy Access Experience running throughout the expedition
The tropical forest canopy is the richest, least explored and most
threatened habitat on the surface of the planet, providing a home to 40%
of all life on earth. It is an incredibly beautiful and dynamic place but due
to its inaccessibility, remains almost completely unexplored. Canopy
Access Limited, the team that helped David Attenborough ascend into
the canopy for Life of Mammals, Life in the Undergrowth and Planet Earth
series, will be on site to provide access to the canopy for the science
teams two days a week. For the rest of the time, the team will be at Base
Camp running a half-day course on safe ascent into the canopy. This
experience costs US$170, you don’t need to choose the Canopy Access
Experience as one of your options when booking with Opwall – you can
do this as an optional extra.You do need to pre-book with Canopy Access
Limited via their website: http://canopyaccess.co.uk
HM102 Monitoring Biodiversity Change
Operation Wallacea has established an annual monitoring programme for
Cusuco National Park. This involves standardised monitoring of a number of
taxa from 145 sites across the Park to assess changes in the structure of the
forest and how these changes are impacting the target taxa (dung beetles,
Sphingidae and Saturnidae moths, amphibians, reptiles, birds, bats and large
mammals). These monitoring data are combined with analysis of satellite
imagery to produce an annual ‘State of the Cusuco National Park’ report.
Activities include helping to set up and empty invertebrate pitfall traps,
checking light traps, performing timed searches for herpetofauna (reptiles and
amphibians) and performing point counts and mist netting for birds. In addition
in any one of the field camps there will be some of the specialist scientists
studies ongoing each week. These studies include projects such as completing
inventories of dung beetle species, examining invertebrate communities in
bromeliads and collecting data on the total diversity of invertebrates using DNA
bar coding of samples from flight intercept traps set at different points around
the Park and in the canopy. Other teams are looking at infection rates of chytrid
fungus – a disease that has decimated amphibian populations elsewhere – in
these tiny mountain top amphibian communities to determine the best strategy
for their conservation. There are additional teams working on the trophic
ecology of small mammals, running camera traps for large mammal surveys
and mist netting bats to describe community structure.
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Marine options
HU103 Utila PADI Open Water Dive Training
Runs every week from 10 June – 29 July
HT104 Tela PADI Open Water Dive Training
Runs every week from 10 June – 29 July
This one-week course is a prerequisite to any diving project. Open Water dive
training is included for Operation Wallacea volunteers. Additional costs are
PADI registration card and the Open Water Crew Pack, both you will need to buy
and bring with you. Completion of this course will give you an internationally
recognised diving qualification and enable you to join general diving projects
accompanied by a Divemaster. The course can be done on Utila (HU), or
Tela (HT).
Additional dive training
Dive training beyond Open Water level is available on Utila and Tela and
can be fitted around your work.
You do not need to specify additional courses on your options list. Courses
include Advanced Open Water Diver ($220), Emergency First Response
($150) or Rescue Diver ($400 - includes Emergency First Response).
Extra courses may not be available at all times and enrolment may depend
on the number of people wanting the training.
All prices listed are in US dollars.
HONDURAS
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HU105 Utila Divemaster Training
Start date: 10 June or 8 July
Divemaster training is available free to Operation Wallacea volunteers, with
only PADI membership fees and liability insurance costs to pay. Participants
will have to set aside four weeks for this course. Before booking this course
you need to be a qualified rescue diver with up to date Emergency First
Responder (EFR) training, have a minimum of 60 logged dives, and should
contact Operation Wallacea for a detailed list of kit you will need to bring on
expedition. Divemasters trained with Opwall are often offered the opportunity to
be employed as a member of the dive staff team in future years. Unfortunately,
it is not possible to offer work placements in the same year you qualify because
of the time required to pass the course and obtain your full PADI Divemaster
registration and insurance needed.
HU106 Utila Caribbean Reef Ecology with practicals by diving
Runs every week; need to complete dive training
HU107 Utila Caribbean Reef Ecology with practicals by snorkeling
Runs every week
HT108 Tela Coastal Ecology with practicals by diving
Runs every week; need to complete dive training
HT109 Tela Coastal Ecology with practicals by snorkeling
Runs every week
This course teaches identification of common genera and species of coral
and other macro-invertebrates, identification of the major reef-associated fish
families and common species and introduces a variety of methods and practices
used for scientific research in the marine and coastal environment. Snorkeling
on Utila will focus more on coral reef practicals and will therefore follow
the diving option, whereas snorkelling in Tela will focus more on mangrove
surveying with more limited access to the reefs. This one-week course is a
prerequisite for joining many of the marine research projects.
HU110 Reef fish and benthic community monitoring of Utila reefs
Runs every week from 10 June – 22 July; need to complete dive training
and HU106
Operation Wallacea has been conducting an annual monitoring program of the
reefs around Utila for several years using the standardised Underwater Visual
Census technique. This technique involves trained surveyors counting fish
within an imaginary box 2.5m above the transect tape and 2.5m either side.
This technique has a number of drawbacks: it relies on the surveyor’s ability to
accurately identify fish encountered which varies annually, there is no record
of the counts other than the documented numbers and the size estimates of
all fish encountered are estimated and is very approximate with errors as high
as 50%. In 2011, Operation Wallacea introduced surveys using a stereo video
system developed by the University of Western Australia on Utila. This system
allows surveyors to swim along the transects and video the fish encountered.
Then in the lab, by playing back the two video images on a single computer
screen using specialist software, not only can the images be freeze-framed to
accurately identify all fish encountered, but also size estimation can be done to
below 4% error. Benthic communities are surveyed by laying 50m tapes along
depth contours and a surveyor swims along the tape holding it in their left hand
and filming the tape and adjacent corals with an underwater video camera.
Coral cover and community structure of hard and soft corals, macroalgae and
sponges are then assessed from lab based analysis of the video footage using
the continuous method. In addition, invertebrate belt transects are used to
monitor the populations of key species including sea urchins. Volunteers on
this project will be helping with laying transects, collecting data in the water
and completing the video surveys. They will also be heavily involved in the
analysis of the images in the on-site laboratory.
HU111 Utila Research Assistant Pool
Runs every week from 17 June – 5 August; need to complete HU106
or HU107
There are several different research projects on Utila, including many at
dissertation and thesis level. These projects involve studying a specific element
of the marine environment in extensive detail, either through diving, snorkelling
or kayaking. Projects include highly detailed coral reef benthic surveys focusing
on interspecific interactions, sea urchin size frequency and ecology studies,
mangrove system ecology and several others. All these projects require
extensive data collection and research assistants are always needed to assist
with this. Research assistants joining this project can volunteer their time to
help with projects they are interested in and will gain valuable insights into the
specific research topic they cover. Those participating in the research assistant
pool will also be involved with the development of new research through pilot
projects, including the testing of new research techniques and equipment.
HT108 An assessment of the ecology of coastal systems and the
anthropogenic impacts affecting them in Tela Bay
Runs every week from 24 June – 5 August; need to complete HT108
or HT109
There are three main focuses of the overall research programme in Tela Bay
and research assistants will rotate between these projects to help with all
aspects of the research. One project will investigate the reasons behind Tela’s
extraordinary coral reef benthic community, including the completion of
benthic transects and an assessment of populations of the sea urchin Diadema
antillarum. These data sets will be collected by SCUBA diving. A second project
will be investigating the structure and function of mangrove forests around a
series of lagoons, focusing on forest structure measurements, carbon storage
calculations and the extent of associated biodiversity. This research component
will be completed by kayaking. The third research area is to assess the fishery
of Tela Bay to begin a long term catch monitoring programme, including a
census of fishers and gear types, catch assessments to explore patterns in
catch per unit effort and catch composition. This project will take place in local
communities. Research assistants on this option will have the opportunity to
develop a wide range of research skills and experience many aspects of coastal
ecological assessment and their implications for management.
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HONDURAS DISSERTATIONS
HM221 The effect of species richness and phylobetadiversity on the
distribution of specialists
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
Wild insect pollinators are generally suffering severe population declines
due to a number of factors, including intensification in land-use, habitat loss,
agrochemicals, and climate change. Yet we still know surprisingly little regarding
the impact of pollinator losses on the reproductive ecology of plants and the
diversity of ecosystems. Research efforts addressing studies about pollination
biology and the impact of pollinator disappearing on plant reproduction are not
randomly distributed across the different geographic regions around the world.
Specifically across the Neotropics, some researchers have postulated that these
ecosystems may include more specialised species and, therefore, are potentially
more susceptible to disturbance, although data are truly too sparse to make
solid conclusions. Projects can be developed that measure visitation rates of
different pollinator species to different plant species.
HM222 Diversity and habitat associations of bees in
Cusuco National Park
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
Pollination is an essential ecological service and bees are generally considered
the most important group of pollinators. Bee diversity, habitat associations
and effects of habitat disturbance on bees are poorly known in the Neotropics
in general and in Honduras in particular. For example, Panama and Costa Rica
each have almost 70 recorded species of orchid bees, yet Honduras only has
28. This disparity is undoubtedly due to a lack of bee research in Honduras,
since Honduras has a great deal of habitat diversity and is much larger in terms
of land area than either of the other two countries. Bee diversity will be assessed
using a combination of malaise and pan traps, then analyzed in relation to
habitat variables, habitat fragmentation and disturbance. One group of bees, the
orchid bees, is a potentially useful bioindicator group of overall bee diversity.
Orchid bees will be sampled using plant extracts as baits to attract the males
so that they can be collected with insect nets and passive traps. There are
many research questions that could be addressed such as how does species
composition vary among different habitat types? How does forest fragmentation
affect bee diversity? Can orchid bee diversity be used as an indicator of overall
bee diversity?
HONDURAS DISSERTATIONS
26
HM223 Estimating tropical invertebrate diversity
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
This is a unique opportunity to participate in a global DNA barcoding initiative,
the International Barcode of Life (iBOL, http://ibol.org/). Conceptualized and
supported by the University of Guelph Canada, DNA barcoding provides an
accurate, rapid and inexpensive species identification method for thousands
of specimens within Cusuco National Park. Initial studies within the park where
malaise traps were deployed for an 8 week period in two separate camps
resulted in 2000 species being identified from a total of 6000 specimens
caught. Despite the two camps being only 2km apart and a 200m difference in
altitude, the overlap in species was only 5%, giving an indication of just how
spectacular the diversity of this cloud forest park may be. This topic is designed
to gain an overall estimate of the total invertebrate diversity of Cusuco National
Park from the work of several dissertation students who will each concentrate on
different Orders (e.g. Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera). Projects could include:
(i) a biodiversity investigation within a vertical forest structure where Malaise
traps are set in the canopy, mid tree and on the ground to compare overlap in
species; (ii) The spatial variation and overall invertebrate diversity with varying
tree species, altitude, or rainfall level found within the park; (iii) The proportion
of overall invertebrate biodiversity being sampled by Malaise traps and a
comparison of diversity and overlap in specimens from leaf litter traps, light
traps, pitfall traps and active searching samples. Students doing these projects
collect specimens on a weekly basis, allowing species accumulation curve
plots, and sort their specimens into Order. Larger specimens will be pinned
and a leg will be removed from each specimen for subsequent DNA extraction.
Sorted plates and pinned specimens are sent to the University of Guelph for
DNA sequence generation (2-3 weeks). Each of the sequences will be assigned
a Barcode Index Number (BIN), which closely approximates species, enabling
analysis of overlaps between sites and percentage contribution by each Order,
identification and distribution analysis from known species within the database.
A large percentage of the sequences will be for unknown species and in these
cases the database can be used to produce a phylogeny showing the nearest
known species. The sequencing for this project is being completed at a heavily
subsidised rate by the University of Guelph and from additional funds provided
by Opwall. Additional lab cost funds will be required from students to complete
the work. Many dissertation students have access to a lab costs budget which
can be used for this work and if working on the same order the costs for the
samples can be shared between a number of students.
HM224 Factors affecting dung beetle, jewel scarabs and moth
communities in Honduran cloud forests
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
This topic can take advantage of the existing, fixed-method sampling program
of baited pitfall traps for dung beetles at all 150 sites, of light trapping for
moths and jewel scarab beetles at each of the 28 focal sites, as well as the
taxonomic expertise on site to help with identifications. Students on this project
will participate in the main data collection effort, and may also be able to adapt
the sampling program to their own project or set up plots for experimental
studies. There may also be the opportunity to investigate aspects of ecological
genetics, or to utilise GIS in analysing the local biogeography of these
three groups.
The dung beetle community may play an important role as an indicator for the
quality of the local rainforest habitat or for the occurrence of other taxa. Dung
beetle projects could involve analysing community data from the sampling
program in relation to the habitat structure measurements, for example
investigating changes in species composition with altitude. Dung beetles
also play a vital role in decomposition in the forest and in seed dispersal and
the impact and effectiveness of these roles could be tested using various
experimental designs. Alternatively, a project could use live trapping of dung
beetles to assess how far they travel to their food source, via mark–recapture
methods, or to study aspects of dung beetle ecology such as diel activity or
feeding preferences.
HM225 Comparison of community structure and abundance of moths
on the Honduran Cloud forest floor compared to the canopy
Join this project 10 June or 24 June ; need to complete HM101
Many species have specific ecological niches which extend to the height above
ground at which to reside. The majority of the biomass and biodiversity in
rain – and cloud-forests is in the canopy which can be >30m above the
ground level. Moths are one of the most diverse taxonomic groups but often
poorly described. Using plastic heath traps and actinic bulbs running from
portable batteries, one will be positioned on the forest floor and another directly
above in the canopy using a catapult and rope rigging system. The height of the
second trap above the ground will be estimated using a clinometer and simple
trigonometry. Each trap will be run for one night before the captures will be
processed. Morphospecies will be described and listed and specimens will be
taken as a reference collection. The system will be deployed at multiple camps.
Specimens will be used for DNA Barcoding provided by the University of
Guelph, Canada to enable new species to science to be identified. However, the
main focus of the project will be to compare the paired traps to determine the
dissimilarity in moth community structure and abundance between the forest
floor and canopy.
Similarly, community data of the jewel scarab beetles or moths could be
analysed with respect to habitat characteristics. Given that jewel scarab
beetles are extremely attractive and highly valued by collectors, a project using
mark-recapture analysis of trapped jewel scarab beetles to estimate population
size and other parameters to inform sustainable exploitation of the beetles
would also be useful. The moth species in the park are relatively understudied,
so projects involving these species could involve investigations into their
population sizes and distribution through the park.
HM226 Metacommunity dynamics of aquatic invertebrates
in bromeliads
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
This project is a step up from the classic biodiversity surveys and aims at
gaining insight in some deep ecological mechanisms driving diversity patterns.
Building on a detailed study of the aquatic invertebrates in bromeliads in
the last seven years, a series of experimental set ups will be used to look
into metacommunity dynamics and how dispersal affects alpha, beta and
gamma diversity. Surveys in bromeliads resulted in over 50 species of aquatic
invertebrates recorded. Most are larval stages of insects, so invertebrates
with an active dispersal. Additionally and quite surprisingly, several passive
dispersers are regularly found in bromeliads in Cusuco. Cusuco National Park
has the highest recorded diversity of passive dispersers in bromeliads so far.
Passive dispersers need vectors to move between bromeliads and the presence
of two dispersal strategies are an added value to look how dispersal strategies
affect community assembly and diversity patterns. The passive dispersers
found in bromeliads include two species of Ostracoda (Elpidium meredonensis
and a Candona sp.) and two species of Anomopoda (Ceriodaphnia laticaudata
and Alona bromelicola). In this project the student will use small plastic cups
strategically placed in the forest as artificial bromeliads to experimentally test
hypotheses concerning metacommunity characteristics such as for instance
metacommunity size (number of bromeliads), patch size (bromeliad size) and
interpatch distance (distance between bromeliads) on the alfa, beta and gamma
diversity. The small and well delineated communities are easy to sample,
provide a large flexibility in terms of set-up and allow for a large number of
replicates with relatively small effort.
27
HM227 How do dragonfly communities change over
an elevation gradient?
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
Protected as a national park for the freshwater resource used as drinking water,
Cusuco National Park is home to a high diversity of aquatic invertebrates.
A particularly charismatic and prominently visible part are the dragonflies.
Preliminary surveys indicate the presence of at least 40 species but little is
known on the ecology of these species. This project aims at performing the first
community assembly study of dragonfly communities in Cusuco. Looking into
distributional patterns of individual species and how dragonfly communities
change with river types and on an elevation gradient. Particular attention will
be devoted to how the dispersal capacity of the individual species affects the
distribution patterns. It is expected that damselflies with limited flight abilities
have a smaller distribution in comparison with the more mobile dragonflies.
Also within each group, size differences within species are expected to affect
mobility and distribution patterns.
HM228 Abundance and distribution of threatened amphibian populations
in Cusuco cloud forest
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
The amphibians of Cusuco National Park are threatened by rapid, recent
expansion of coffee farms and pastures for cattle ranching within the buffer
zone as well as alarming encroachment into the core zone of the park. Efforts
are being made to halt the illegal encroachment of farms into the core zone but
this will take time and political will. If the amphibian populations continue to
decline then decisions must be made regarding the value of ex-situ conservation
of key species for subsequent release once the threats to the population have
been resolved. In order to make such decisions, it is imperative that we have
reliable estimates of amphibian population dynamics. Thus, data are urgently
required on the population sizes and distributions of each of the cloud forest
amphibian species and the catchments in which each occur. Data collection
for this project involves trekking along sample routes through the forest (to
monitor terrestrial species) and river based surveys (to monitor stream-dwelling
species), recording all encounters with amphibians, noting the species, number
of individuals, GPS location, length and weight of the individual, and taking
numerous photographs of each individual as a non-invasive method of capturemark-recapture monitoring. These data may then be used to calculate reliable
estimates of species abundance and may also be added to existing GIS maps of
the park to investigate species distribution patterns.
HONDURAS DISSERTATIONS
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HM229 Prevalence of Chytrid in amphibian populations within Cusuco
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
The effective conservation of Cusuco National Park is imperitive for many
endemic species, none more so than cloud forest amphibians. The spread of
chytrid fungus has caused severe declines in many amphibian populations and
is a major concern for global amphibian conservation. Chytrid is known to have
been present within the amphibian populations of Cusuco for at least 15 years,
but its prevalence within specific areas of the forest and the extent to which
different species are affected are not well known. Amphibian species will be
encountered during diurnal and nocturnal transects and swabbed for chytrid.
Swabs will be taken back to the lab at base camp and tested for the presence of
chytrid using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and visualised using agarose gel
electrophoresis. Individuals will also be assessed for visual signs of infection.
Prevalence of chytrid will be mapped in the park using multiple years data to
assess whether the disease is continuing to spread to previously uninfected
areas.
HM230 Trophic ecology of vipers in Cusuco
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
Cusuco is home to a large diversity of snake species. Their distribution is
often patchy and little is known about the features influencing their ecology.
Indeed, the prey items taken by each species, particularly those utilised by palm
vipers is unknown but some species are thought to be amphibian specialists
whilst others are thought to be small mammal or even arthropod specialists.
Dissertation students will accompany trained herpetologists with expertise in
handling venomous species. Students will not be permitted to handle snakes
directly. Transects will be surveyed using effort controlled scan sampling and
any snakes found will be immobilised by inserting their heads into a tight,
close-ended, perspex tube to render them harmless. Species, sex, reproductive
status, weight and other morphological metrics will be recorded. Two scale
samples will be taken; one for genetic analyses building a tissue bank for this
rare and poorly studied group and the other for Stable Isotope Analysis (SIA).
The latter provides a means by which the ratios of Nitrogen (15N) and Carbon
(13C) can be used to determine the trophic position at which snakes have
been feeding and geographic origin of their prey (aquatic or terrestrial). The
herptile team will also encounter leaf litter and arboreal frogs and salamanders
which will also be sampled for their stable isotopic signature whilst the small
mammal team will be collecting tissue samples of putative mouse and rat
species. Samples from other taxonomic groups can also be obtained for stable
isotopis signatures through collaboration with the other research teams. Tissue
samples will be exported to the UK for preparation prior to being packaged and
sent for commercial analyses. Students will receive the final stable isotope data
within 2 months of the end of the expedition. These will allow the prey basis of
each species of snake sampled (either amphibian, mammal) to be determined.
The cost of sample preparation and commercial stable isotpic analysis will be
highly subsidised, but additional lab cost funds will be required from students
to complete the work. Many dissertation students have access to a lab costs
budget which can be used for this work. Students without access to additional
funds for lab work may still opt for this project but can base their research
question around habitat use and niche partitioning between different snakes.
HM231 Factors affecting bird communities in Cusuco
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
Birds are excellent indicators of forest ecosystem health as their abundance and
diversity is closely related to habitat disturbance. This topic takes advantage
of the existing, fixed-method point count survey work being undertaken for
birds at over 130 survey sites across Cusuco, as well as the recently started
mark-release-recapture mist-netting survey data. Aspects of these data sets can
then be analyzed to study a whole range of impacts on bird communities. For
example, presence-absence data for each species can be used to investigate
the main environmental variables affecting species distribution patterns.
Species distribution maps can then be collated to bird species richness
maps of the park to identify diversity hotspots or to make comparisons of
species richness between the different study sites. Examples of such projects
could include: an intensive study of the bird communities in the varied agro
ecosystems or other human-modified habitats, taking into consideration the
spatial and time scale of disturbance; a comparison of bird communities
between the different administrative divisions in the park (e.g. between park
buffer/core zone); or a comparison of the bird community composition in
different habitats identified by vegetation type, (e.g. pine dominated vs.
broadleaf forest). An alternative study could compare bird communities at
different altitudes in forest with the same levels of disturbance. This should
show that richness decreases with altitude but the proportion of endemics
increases, certain families become more dominant, and closely-related species
replace each other at certain thresholds with little overlap (Crested Guan Highland Guan, Collared Trogon - Mountain Trogon etc). Data could be linked to
covariates like temperature, habitat structure and forest type (Pine, Dwarf forect
etc.) and turn-overs and threshold limits determined and examined.
HM232 Assessing detectability of under-represented species
in Cusuco National Park
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
Traditional biodiversity monitoring techniques used in Cusuco, such as point
counts and mist netting both have biases that have the potential to result
in some species being under recorded. A good example being species that
vocalise rarely such as several members of the Furnariidae family. This study
could examine all groups in the park which are poorly represented by the main
methods (point-counts/mistnets) – nocturnal birds, diurnal raptors, aerial
feeders, some cryptic understorey birds etc. So there is scope to try a whole
suite of secondary methods (play-back/ spot-mapping/ counts at noon, dusk
and night/ long raptor-watches from exposed views). This study could be used
to determine which combination of methods works best to determine all groups
that are currently under-recorded by the primary methods. The results of this
study could then be used to make recommendations as to which combination
of methods will record the widest range of bird species in the shortest period of
time for people surveying newly gazetted or severely under-surveyed protected
areas. Something that has not been investigated in Cusuco is the potential
for audio playback to assist in the detection of these species. A potential
study could examine the detectability of these species using audio playback
compared with traditional point count methodology. Although bird monitoring
has been carried out in Cusuco for several years there has never been an in
depth study of the nocturnal birds of the park and as a result very little is known
about their densities, distributions or ecology. An in depth nocturnal survey
would use audio play-back of various nocturnal species that have either been
recorded or could potentially be present to attempt to gain an understanding
of how these species are distributed throughout the park. The study of these
species is important since, they could be good indicators of the state of the
environment because of their particular habitat requirements; yet little about
their distribution or ecology is known in Cusuco National Park.
HM233 Habitat associations and trophic partitioning within cloud forest
small mammals, Honduras
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
Small mammals demonstrate a variety of feeding guilds from granivores and
frugivores consuming seeds, nuts and fruit (many mice and rats) to obligate
insectivores (shrews). A total of 19 small mammal species have been recorded
in Cusuco National Park comprising a complex community. However, two
species, the Mexican Deer Mouse Peromyscus mexicanus and the Spiny Pocket
Mouse Heteromys desmarestianus are the most commonly encountered using
current trapping methods. How these species share the forest and the individual
specialism of each species remains largely unknown. Transects consisting of
paired cage traps will be placed on the forest floor (terrestrial environment) and
also along river corridors (riparian environment). Differential trapping success
in the different habitats will describe species-habitat associations whilst tissue
samples (1cm of tail) will be used for Stable Isotope Analysis (SIA). The ratios
of Nitrogen (15N) and Carbon (13C) can be used to determine the trophic
position at which small mammals have been feeding and geographic origin of
their food items (aquatic or terrestrial). Thus, differences between-species and
within-species (e.g. differences in the feeding strategies of the sexes) will be
elucidated. Small mammal abundance and species composition can be related
to habitat data collected from permanent plots along the transect network.
Additionally, abundance and special distribution patterns may be related to
predator abundance and distribution (mainly snakes) in the area. For students
wishing to do stable isotope analysis, the cost of sample preparation and
commercial stable isotpic analysis will be subsidised, but additional lab cost
funds will be required from students to complete the work. Many dissertation
students have access to a lab costs budget which can be used for this work.
Students will receive the final stable isotope data within 2 months of the end of
the expedition.
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HM234 The use of camera trapping arrays in inventorying large
mammal species and the deployment of the Random Encounter Model
(REM) for estimating their abundances
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
A total of 23 large mammal species have been recorded in Cusuco National
Park using indirect survey techniques including field signs such as footprints or
droppings. These include the endangered Baird’s tapir, near threatened margay
cat as well as other large cats including the puma, jaguarundi and ocelet as
well as their prey such as peccaries and deer. We aim to deploy a camera
trapping array throughout the park. One camera trap will be deployed on each
transect of which there are four at each of seven camps (28 camera traps in
total). These will be deployed to give 56 trapping locations and 168 trap nights.
Due to human disturbance and levels of hunting, some large mammals are
weary of humans and may avoid our network of established transects. Thus,
points will be selected on traditional transects but the camera will actually be
deployed slightly away from transects mounted on trees in open areas or along
river banks. Occurrence data will be gathered for all species caught on video
footage. Species Distribution Models using MAXENT will be constructed for
common species to extrapolate their likely distribution throughout the rest of
the park. For key target species, the REM will be employed to estimate probable
abundance. This assumes that traps are located randomly with respect to the
target animal population and that the speed of movement of the target species
can be estimated (either derived from the length of time it takes for the animal
to traverse the cameras detection field or from published radiotelemetry data).
A simple formula describing Brownian motion can then be used to estimate
species abundance within the park.
HM235 Ecology and behaviour of bats in tropical
cloud forests, Honduras
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
Cusuco National Park is an incredibly complex landscape with huge variation
in elevation, temperature and rainfall resulting in a wide range of habitats. Bats
at Cusuco National Park have been monitored between June and August each
year since 2006 using mist net surveys. Over 50 species of bats have been
captured at Cusuco including insectivores, nectarivores, frugivores, carnivores
and sanguivores. In addition to abiotic data on lunar phase, precipitation and
temperature, habitat measurements are also available. Some potential ecology
projects include examining the effects of abiotic variables, prey abundance and/
or habitat type on bat abundance or demography. Studies could also examine
how ecological variables contribute to annual variation in bat abundance or
diversity using Opwall’s historical data. The abundance and diversity of bats in
Cusuco permits comparisons within or across species or guilds. In addition to
mist netting, acoustic surveys using ultrasonic recording equipment are now
being implemented. This permits projects on vocal behaviour such as examining
echolocation or social vocalizations in individual species, developing species
identification using echolocation signals, or comparing mist net and acoustic
survey data for species presence and abundance.
HONDURAS DISSERTATIONS
30
HM236 Variation in microchiropteran bat activity in response to spatial
and temporal variation in insect activity
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
Most microchiropteran bat species are insectivorous although some prey on
flying insects (e.g. mosquitoes) and others glean arboreal invertebrates from
leaves (e.g. spiders). Invertebrate activity can vary markedly over relatively
short distances (e.g.in proximity to water), over large distances (in response to
altitude) and over time (i.e. at the same site but on different nights of different
temperature). Bat activity will be recorded using a combination of bat detectors
to record ultrasonic bat activity (numbers of bat passes) and mist netting (to
capture individuals to determine body condition). Fly traps (strips of sticky fly
paper) will be erected at each site being surveyed for the duration of the night
and the number of flying insects caught enumerated to a high taxonomic level
(e.g. family). Sweep netting could also be conducted to enumerate foliage
dwelling invertebrates such as spiders. Nightly temperatures will be recorded
and bat activity will be correlated with invertebrate activity in response to
temperature (which is also elevation dependent).
HM237 Determining the likely impact of climate change on altitudinally
sensitive species in isolated Honduran cloud forests
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101
Cloud forests are often described as ‘sky islands’ where species adapted to their
conditions are often isolated on mountain tops surrounded by a sea of human
disturbance in the lowlands. Cusuco National Park is home to seven species of
endemic amphibians and numerous endemic invertebrates (e.g. two species
of Jewel scrab beetles). These species exhibit a strong altitudinal cline with
either higher or lower abundances at the lower or high altitudes within Cusuco.
Dissertation students can join either the Herptile or Invertebrate survey teams
to survey either the endemic amphibians or invertebrates. Species occurrence
records generated throughout the season will be added to an existing database
of records from 2006. These will be used for Species Distribution Modeling
using the software programme MAXENT. Using Geographic Information System
(GIS) layers for mean annual temperature, precipitation and topographical
variables such as slope or distance from water the bioclimatic envelope of each
species will be determined accounting for topography and habitat. Established
models for projected climate change will be downscaled to a 30m resolution
and the bioclimatic envelopes will be projected into the future to determine the
likely impact of climate change and future climatic space available for the park
endemics.
HM238 Predicting the effects of climate change on the rainforest canopy
Join this project 10 June or 24 June; need to complete HM101, if
ascending into the canopy is required must be BCAP qualified or equivalent
before the start of the season
The tropical forest canopy is arguably “the last biotic frontier”. Research
suggests a considerable portion of rainforest biodiversity lives within the
canopies of trees, yet this habitat receives proportionally much less research
attention. This is concerning, as it leaves a large and important rainforest
community unaccounted for and unstudied when it comes to considering and
predicting the effects of climate change and other disturbance events. Indeed,
the structure of the forest buffers and moderates the external climate, and
as such plays a crucial part in climate change predictions for all parts of the
rainforest. Research in Cusuco is attempting to remedy this gap in our ecological
knowledge. This research currently focuses on the invertebrate community,
as the most crucial and diverse functional community in the rainforest, on
micro-habitat and micro-climate distribution within the canopy. This study uses
a range of novel and complex methodologies, including canopy access, aerial
robots, insecticidal fogging, aerial trapping and mito-metagenomics. Projects
could focus on a certain invertebrate group, a particular habitat characteristic,
or a certain tree species. These could then be studied along altitudinal gradients
(as a proxy for long-term climate change), along vertical transects from ground
to canopy top, within the canopy, or at specific locations based on current and
future climatic predictions from different emissions scenarios. A project could
study how canopy beetle communities change by placing canopy traps in a
specific tree species along an altitudinal gradient, aspects of methodological
experimentation, as this is a major part of the study - perhaps comparing
climate and structural measurements between current human-based standard
sampling techniques and automated robotic systems. Interesting opportunities
may also exist to be able to work on other taxonomic groups within the canopy.
The study is flexible enough for students to carry out either a ground-based or
climbing-based study. The former requires no extra training or equipment, and
the student will carry out their sampling either by working directly with canopy
access-trained personnel or by using catapults or other methods. Students who
wish to personally work within the canopy would need to be suitably trained to
BCAP level or equivalent before the season.
MARINE DISSERTATIONS
HB239 Tracking the recovery of a keystone urchin species and its role in
reef restoration
Join this project 17 June or 1 July; need to complete dive training and
HU106 or HT108
Under natural conditions, the sea urchin Diadema antillarum is the most
important herbivore on Caribbean coral reefs, and is therefore considered a
keystone species. However, a disease in the 1980s caused the death of an
estimated 98% of individuals throughout the region. This mass mortality event
had a devastating effect on reef health, driving subsequent phase shifts to
algal dominated benthic communities. Recovery has been extremely limited
throughout the Caribbean, with populations on most reefs still severely depleted,
and Utila is a classic example of this. Remarkably, the Banco Capiro reef
system in Tela Bay has a population density of D. antillarum at astonishingly
high levels. It also boasts extremely high benthic reef health, despite historical
overfishing leading to a complete collapse of the fishery. Since its recent
discovery, Operation Wallacea scientists began detailed population studies in
2013 and this project will build on this. The primary objective is to quantify
changes in the abundance, biomass and population structure of D. antillarum on
the reefs of Utila and Banco Capiro. Further data will assess the potential roles
of competition, predation and environmental factors in driving the recovery on
Banco Capiro through the study of benthic and fish community assessments.
HB240 Spatial and temporal patterns in fish community structure and
biomass on contrasting reef systems in Honduras
Join this project 17 June or 1 July; need to complete dive training and
HU106 or HT108
The reefs around Utila and Tela Bay offer a unique opportunity to study various
aspects of fish community structure and population dynamics on Caribbean
coral reefs. Reef fish populations are subjected to a huge variety of different
pressures and variables, both natural and human, that dictates their abundance
and diversity. Many of these variables are not fully understood. On Utila,
overfishing has long been a problem, whilst degraded reef habitats have limited
the carrying capacity for fishery recovery. However, the island boasts a gradient
of reef habitats to explore the drivers of fish population density and community
structure. The reefs of Tela Bay have been subjected to extreme overfishing in
the past, which has led to a complete collapse of the fishery. This ultimately
led to a decline in fishing pressure that, along with the extensive mangrove
systems in the bay, has provided Tela with the potential for rapid fish biomass
recovery. Dissertation projects will use cutting edge stereo-video technology,
which allows accurate biomass assessments of reef fish communities. These
data will be combined with additional benthic habitat surveys using underwater
video transects as well as environmental variables to investigate the main drivers
of variation in reef fish community structure. Other projects could focus on
temporal trends in overall fish biomass at both sites using data from previous
research seasons.
HT241 Feeding ecology and habitat preferences of ecologically
important Diadema antillarum sea urchins
Join this project 17 June or 1 July; this project is predominately laboratory
based but need to complete HT108 or HT109
It remains a mystery to scientists why the sea urchin Diadema antillarum has
still not recovered, even 30 years after an unidentified pathogen killed up
to 99% of individuals throughout the Caribbean. The herbivory this species
naturally provides to the region’s coral reefs makes it a keystone species and
the ecological cost of their mass mortality has been enormous. It is therefore
considered one of the top priorities for marine conservation in the Caribbean.
Despite this, research into a lack of recovery remains worryingly low and many
important questions remain unanswered. On the Banco Capiro reef system in
Tela Bay, Honduras, a healthy population of Diadema exists and the health of
the reef is one of the best in the Caribbean, likely as a direct result. This project
will remove individual urchins from the reefs of Banco Capiro and collect
behavioural and environmental tolerance data back at the Tela Marine Research
Centre. Key questions include food preferences, to determine the types of algae
these urchins prey upon, as well as quantifying their preference for structurally
complex refuges to avoid predation and other pressures. This project is
predominately based on land in a small wet laboratory, but could involve some
diving for sample collection and to map natural movements of urchins on the
reefs to explore home ranges.
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HU242 A critical comparison of assessment techniques for surveying
Caribbean coral reef ecosystems
Join this project 17 June or 1 July; need to complete dive training
and HU106
The design of specific coral reef survey and monitoring protocols depends on
a range of factors including available funding and manpower, the expertise
of participants and the level of detail required to meet pre-defined goals.
Decreasing data resolution and number of replicates can increase the speed of
data collection, but this has negative consequences for data reliability and the
ability to answer more complex questions. Due to the heavy reliance on SCUBA,
traditional methods focus on in situ data collection, meaning time becomes
a significant limiting factor due to restrictions on total time spent underwater
each day. However, the emergence of affordable technological alternatives to
traditional coral reef monitoring techniques has greatly increased the potential
efficiency of data collection. Benthic surveys to study reef habitat quality can be
conducted using underwater videography, while fish surveys can be conducted
using state of the art stereo-videography to provide accurate biomass as well as
abundance. These techniques allow scientists to analyse footage back on land,
meaning more replicates can be completed on a single dive. This dissertation
will critically compare a range of coral reef survey techniques, exploring their
strengths and weaknesses, to better inform researchers and conservation
managers when designing reef monitoring strategies in the Caribbean.
HU243 Depth distributions and bathymetric connectivity
of coral reef fish
Join this project 17 June or 1 July; need to complete dive training and
HU106, this project can also be land based
Most coral reef research focuses on shallow water habitats and their ecological
processes. A good example of this is the habitat connectivity exhibited by fish
migrations between coral reef, seagrass and mangrove ecosystems. However,
coral reefs extend well beyond the limits of recreational diving, with mesophotic
coral reef ecosystems (MCEs) extending in some areas to over 100m. These
reefs are beyond the reach of most researchers, and therefore very little is
known of the community structure at these depths, and what level of habitat
connectivity exists between MCEs and their shallow counterparts. By working
alongside a small team of technical divers and remotely deployed camera
systems able to sample MCEs, students who are diving on this project will
help collect the shallow data component through a range of fish and benthic
monitoring techniques, and ultimately have access to both data sets for use in
their dissertations. Non-diving students will operate and analyse footage from
remotely deployed baited camera systems. Specific questions could include
an assessment of total biomass at varying depths, or a more detailed analysis
of fish community structure between a range of habitats. The ultimate aim
of this project is to investigate the importance of deeper coral reef habitats
for conservation management, and data collected will be used to inform the
conservation framework on Utila.
HU244 Competition for space between benthic organisms on
Caribbean coral reefs
Join this project 17 June or 1 July; need to complete dive training
and HU106
Scleractinian corals are the ecosystem architects of highly biodiverse and
productive coral reef biomes. However, on many reefs around the Caribbean,
numerous factors have negatively impacted the ability of corals to thrive as
they once did, which has severely altered the way competition for space takes
place on these reefs. In particular this has commonly led to an overgrowth of
macroalgae and the threat of an ultimate phase shift to an alternative stable
state lacking the structural complexity to support the high diversity of fish and
HONDURAS DISSERTATIONS
32
invertebrates which a healthy coral reef is famous for. This dissertation will
study the interactions between Scleractinian corals and other groups of benthic
organisms such as macroalgae, sponges and soft corals to assess how these
interactions are varying between reefs with different levels of impact. It could
also focus specifically on the coral community and study how competition
between coral colonies varies with increasing impacts to try and gauge which
corals are most likely to dominate the system in future years.
HT245 Uncovering the unique ecosystems of light-limited
coral reefs in Tela Bay
Join this project 17 June or 1 July; need to complete dive training
and HT108
The coral reefs of Tela Bay are truly unique and pose a number of ecological
questions with important implications for coral reef conservation throughout
Honduras and the rest of the Caribbean. The main reef in the bay, known as
Banco Capiro, boasts a coral cover of approximately 70%, which is higher than
almost anywhere else in the entire Caribbean and even higher than many reefs in
the Indo-Pacific. Nearby patch reef systems, however, are more representative of
Caribbean reefs, being dominated by macroalgae after the occurrence of phase
shifts, although even these sites are showing early signs of recovery. Another
distinct difference between the reefs of Tela Bay and elsewhere is the increased
turbidity, which reduces visibility but importantly reduces the quantity and
quality of light reaching the benthic community. This phenomenon is believed to
protect sensitive corals from the dangers of high light stress, an idea known as
the refuge hypothesis. In short, the reefs of Tela Bay are ecologically mysterious.
This project will attempt to better our understanding of the biological and
ecological processes taking place on the coral reefs of Tela Bay in order to
better inform conservation managers of how the corals are able to thrive to
such an extent. Data will include a benthic assessment of a number of reef sites
to investigate patterns in benthic cover, coral species diversity and variation
in environmental conditions. Access to previous data from the first detailed
assessment of Banco Capiro in 2014 will also be available to explore evidence
of long-term variations in reef health and function.
HU246 An assessment of coral health on Utila’s fringing reef system
Join this project 17 June or 1 July; need to complete dive training
and HU106
Global climate change is having a serious impact on coral reefs, with the
health of both hard and soft corals under threat from a range of factors. These
include coral bleaching and disease, both of which reduce the health of a
colony and can ultimately lead to the death of the coral. Modern pollution
levels are believed to be responsible for an increased frequency of disease,
whilst a number of factors are known to cause coral bleaching, most famously
increased water temperature. Other impacts on the health of coral colonies
include bioerosion by macroinvertebrates and the activity of coralivores such
as parrotfish. These impacts are evident on reefs around Utila, and are adding
to the suite of factors negatively impacting the health and viability of important
coral communities. This dissertation will explore the extent of various coral
mortality impacts on reefs around Utila, focusing on trying to identify patterns
in their occurrence and severity. It could also look for variations in susceptibility
between different taxonomic groups down to species level, and predict which
species are most likely to survive under current conditions.
HU247 Assessing the impact of mangrove degradation on their ecology
and ecosystem service provision
Join this project 17 June or 1 July; need to complete HU106 or HU107
The island of Utila is dominated by mangrove and wetland systems. These are
highly important to the functioning of the entire marine ecosystem on the island
through their role in coastal protection and as fish nurseries. However they are
being placed under increasing threat from development on the island, either
through direct removal to clear space for construction, or more commonly
through partial disturbance and pollution. Many previous studies on mangroves
have compared the functioning of healthy systems to areas where mangroves
have been completely removed, but little has been done on the impacts of
degradation on mangrove systems and its effect on their functioning. This
topic allows research to be done on mangroves in four contrasting lagoons.
Of these lagoons one is subjected to high levels of organic pollution, while a
second is subjected to physical disturbance from dredging and boat traffic, a
third contrasting lagoon is relatively untouched and a fourth is part of a marine
reserve. These contrasting systems provide an excellent opportunity to study the
effects of differing levels of mangrove disturbance on factors including sediment
dynamics, forest structure, carbon storage, and associated biodiversity. On this
topic students will be kayaking around the remote mangrove lagoons, exploring
and surveying areas of Utila that are rarely seen by other visitors.
HT248 Structure and function of mangroves in Tela Bay
Join this project 17 June or 1 July; need to complete HT108 or HT109
Tela Bay boasts an extensive mangrove system, which are centred around a
network of five lagoons, each of varying sizes and anthropogenic impacts. These
lagoons are an important source of food and income for local communities,
while the mangroves themselves are important for overall biodiversity and
carbon storage throughout Tela Bay. In addition, mangroves are known to be
important nursery grounds for nearby fisheries, forming an integral component
of the reef-seagrass-mangrove continuum in existence along tropical coastlines.
Extreme overfishing in the area has led to a complete collapse in reef-associated
fisheries and the importance of maintaining healthy mangrove ecosystems in
the bay is more important than ever. This project will investigate the structure
and functioning of mangrove forests in Tela Bay and will provide valuable
information for future conservation efforts in the area. An important focus will be
forest structure measurements to characterise the state of a number of mangrove
sites, but additional data could include sediment dynamics, carbon storage,
and associated invertebrate and vertebrate fauna. By combining this range of
data sets, dissertation projects could focus on a detailed ecological assessment
of the structure and functioning of Tela mangroves, their role in local carbon
storage, or their importance to overall coastal ecology. Data collection will take
place by kayaking within the lagoons.
HU249 Thermal ecology, tolerance, and temperature preference of coral
reef and mangrove species on Utila
Join this project 17 June or 1 July; need to complete HU106 or HU107
Temperature has a profound effect on survival, growth, reproduction and
distribution of ectothermic animals. Indeed, temperature is often referred to as
“The Abiotic Master Factor”. Ectotherms living in thermally capricious shallow
water environments exhibit a range of biochemical, molecular, or cellular
mechanisms to ameliorate short-term exposure to temperature extremes.
However it is less clear how these organisms will respond to widespread
increases of up to 4ºC in average sea surface temperatures. Dissertation studies
measuring key ecophysiology attributes such as thermal tolerance and thermal
preference would help define the range of physiological elasticity of shallow
intertidal animals, as well as provide a better understanding of the interspecific
variation seen in these animals. Researchers will have the opportunity to conduct
thermal laboratory experiments with a variety of coral reef, seagrass meadow,
and mangrove species. These studies would provide important information for
designing effective conservation and management strategies for mangrove and
seagrass dependent species facing global climate change.
HT250 Monitoring the coastal fisheries of Tela Bay
Join this project 17 June or 1 July; need to complete HT108 or HT109
Overfishing is one of the greatest threats to tropical coastal ecosystems and
because of this fishing pressure is a priority for conservation organisations
throughout the tropics. One of the greatest barriers to success has been the
provision of suitable alternative livelihoods for fishers, which are essential to
reduce overall fishing effort. In Tela Bay, the extent of historical fishing pressure
combined with a lack of management efforts in the area has led to a total
collapse of the reef fishery. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the majority of
local fishers have subsequently been forced to either fish alternative grounds,
or seek alternative sources of income. High reef health and extensive nursery
grounds in the form of mangroves means that fish populations in Tela Bay
have the potential to recover swiftly, providing fishing levels are kept low.
This dissertation will explore fishing activity in Tela Bay as part of a long term
monitoring effort. This is a unique opportunity to study a post-collapse reef
associated fishery, where the removal of fishing effort so highly prioritised by
conservation managers may have already occurred without intervention. Data
could include assessments of gear types, overall fishing effort, targeted species,
catch per unit effort and catch composition. Data collection will take place in
local communities throughout Tela Bay with the help of a translator.
33
PERU RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND FACILITIES
Research Objectives
The Pacaya Samiria National Reserve is one of the largest protected areas in
Peru spanning over 20,000 km2 of tropical rainforest and is a truly exceptional
wilderness area. Situated deep in the rainforests of the western Amazon basin, at
the point where the Amazon River begins its long journey to the Atlantic Ocean,
the reserve teems with aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. The two major rivers that
bind the reserve are the Ucayali and Marañon, and they join to form the Amazon
proper right at the point where the reserve begins. The huge floodplains of these
majestic rivers have produced the low-lying flooded forests (varzea) of the
reserve, much of which is accessible on foot during the dry season surveys. The
core areas of the reserve with no exploitation permitted are at the most upstream
end. At the downstream end, there are communities of Cocama Indians who
are involved in reserve management and managing resources in non-core zone
areas sustainably. The Samiria River that runs through the heart of the Pacaya
Samiria National Reserve has a particularly large population of river dolphins
and is the last remaining refuge for the Amazon manatee. Giant river otters are
also returning and every year more are sighted in the rivers, lakes and channels.
There are 12 species of primates in the Reserve, many of which are commonly
sighted on the terrestrial and aquatic transects.
The flooded forests (varzea) of the Reserve are particularly susceptible to
global climate change which appears to be increasing the frequency of extreme
flooding events and low water periods. During the height of the annual floods,
92- 94% of the Reserve is flooded but this can be as high as 98% in extreme
flooding events, confining land based mammals (agouti, deer, peccaries,
armadillos) to small areas of land and thereby significantly impacting their
population levels. In times of extreme low water, fish populations and their
associated predators (dolphins, river birds) are under stress. The data set
managed by Fund Amazonia for this Reserve, which is based on the annual
surveys completed by the Opwall teams and others, is the most extensive in any
of the Peruvian reserves and is showing the impact of global climate change on
a range of taxa and on the livelihoods of indigenous people. This information is
being used to make management decisions for the reserve and policy decisions
for conserving the Peruvian Amazon.
PERU
34
Research boats
The entire research expedition, including accommodation and travel to the
field site, will be based on board either the Rio Amazonas or the Pithecia ships
which are restored boats from the rubber boom era. The boats have fan cooled
cabins which can accommodate 4-10 participants in bunk-beds, dining areas,
a small research library and open deck space. There is limited generator power
during mid-day and evenings providing an opportunity for participants to
recharge laptops or camera batteries. In addition to the research boat on which
you will be living, there are small auxiliary boats (e.g. wooden and aluminium
canoes) used to access the various data collection points.
Volunteers are taken by bus from Iquitos to Nauta. At that point, you join one
of the research boats or are taken by speedboat up to the survey site. The Rio
Amazonas takes approximately 48 hours (depending on river conditions) to
reach the research site and the speed boat around 12 hours.
PERU RESEARCH ASSISTANT OPTIONS
Amazon wildlife conservation and biodiversity surveying
The training course and survey options described below have been packaged
as a series of 2 or 4 week expeditions. Please read the packaged expedition
descriptions and then move to the constituent part descriptions for further
details of what you will be doing.
Peru Expedition 2 Length: 2 weeks Start Date: 14 June
This 2 week expedition is for those who want a taste of Amazonian wildlife
research whilst based on a research boat in a remote part of the Pacaya
Samiria Reserve in the Amazon. The expedition starts with the Amazonian
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation course (PP101) with lectures and field
practicals designed to train participants in the survey techniques and
to identify some of the main species encountered. For the second week
the group would work on the macaw point counts, mist netting, caiman,
amphibian, large mammal camera trapping, gill netting for fish, dolphin
and turtle transects and habitat assessment surveys (PP102).
Expedition options
Caiman, turtles, macaws and biodiversity surveying in the Amazon
Peru Expedition 1 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 14 June
Peru Expedition 3 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 12 July
These 4 week expeditions give a great opportunity to see some of the
unique Amazonian wildlife whilst based on a research boat in a remote part
of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve in the Amazon. The expedition starts with
the Amazonian Wildlife Ecology and Conservation course (PP101) with
lectures and field practicals designed to train participants in the survey
techniques and to identify some of the main species encountered. Then for
the next three weeks the group would work on the macaw point counts, mist
netting, caiman, amphibian, large mammal camera trapping, gill netting for
fish, dolphin and turtle transects and habitat assessment surveys (PP102).
It is advisable at first to rotate between all these different surveys, but to
then concentrate on helping with one of the survey teams in particular
since the longer you work on a survey the more helpful your input will be
and the more you will learn. By spending 4 weeks in the Pacaya Samiria
Reserve you should see a good cross section of the amazing wildlife of the
Amazon.
35
Constituent parts
PP101 Amazonian Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Course
This course, which is run whilst you are travelling to site and during your first
week on site with the research teams, is designed to give you an introduction to
Amazonian wildlife. The course consists of a series of lectures and field based
practicals and aims to teach you the survey techniques and main species likely
to be encountered in groups such as freshwater fish, amphibians and reptiles,
birds, freshwater mammals, exploitation rates of large mammals, birds, primate
population and behaviour studies. In addition the course covers a series of
examples of best practice sustainable management in Amazonia.
Research Assistant Projects
PP102 Biodiversity monitoring in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve
Research Assistants on this project will be based on the Rio Amazonas or
Pithecia research ships. There is a large team of mainly Peruvian researchers
based on the research ship with various research programmes running.
Research Assistants signing up for the various projects will help on all the
projects over the course of their stay. There is a strong research atmosphere on
the boat with teams coming and going at all times of day and night on various
research tasks. The tasks include:
■Primates, large mammals and game birds: Distance based survey
transects will be completed by the students for these groups along 2 – 3 km
trails. The method and theories behind DISTANCE sampling will be explained
to students and they will be taught how to recognise different species and the
main identification features. These data are then combined with the camera
trap data to estimate abundance of the main species and using time-space
analyses to estimate densities. The density data are then used to look at the
impact of recent climate change and examine sustainability of hunting.
PERU
36
■Macaw Surveys: Boat based point counts are used to monitor macaws with
each site separated by 500m. Fifteen minutes will be spent at each point
with censuses carried out twice a day. Within the fifteen minute counts, all
macaw species either perched or flying are noted and the time of observation
and distances of the birds from the observer estimated. Macaws are used as
indicator species of the terrestrial ecosystem and changes in their populations
reflect the dynamics of forest fruit production.
■Wading bird surveys: These surveys include 5km river transects divided
into 500m subsections where all river edge bird species are recorded. The
flooded forest of the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve have the greatest fish
production in the Peruvian Amazon and wading birds are used as an indicator
of the annual fish production.
■Understorey birds: Standard length mist nets are set at replicate sites in a
range of habitats (riverine forest, closed canopy forest, levees, liana forest,
palm forest). All birds captured are identified and measured. Catch per unit
effort data are compared between years to identify population trends and the
impact of climate change on diversity and abundance.
■River Dolphin Transects: 5km transects at each site are travelled
downstream using a boat with the engine turned off. Information collected
on sightings includes: species, group size, group composition, behaviour
(travelling, fishing, resting, playing), time and position at first sighting.
During these surveys students will be taught how to record the distribution
and behaviour of both pink and grey river dolphins. The density of pink river
dolphins is one of the greatest in the Amazon basin. Climate change is
impacting the dolpin numbers and the research is indentifying these recent
impacts.
■Turtle transects: Expeditions later in the survey season (depending on
water levels being low enough) may also include turtle monitoring. The turtle
monitoring method consists of registering the number of individuals sighted,
either sunbathing or swimming. Students will be taught how to differentiate
between the two turtle species found in the reserve. The head-start
programme in the reserve has successfully helped recover the yellow spotted
river turtle and the giant Amazon river turtle. Turtle transects help determine
the population levels and the results of the head-start programme.
■Fish Surveys: Students will be able to work with a team who are setting
standard gill nets to quantify the catch per unit effort (CUPE). The students
will learn how gill-net surveys are implemented and will help with measuring,
weighing and identifying all fish captured. They will also take part in surveys
using fishing lines. The fishing surveys are examining the impact of recent
climate change on fish populations and how this relates to the sustainability
of fishing by local Cocama people.
■Habitat surveys: These surveys are designed to produce quantitative data on
the various forest habitats (size structure and biomass of trees, levels of light
penetration and ground vegetation, regeneration rates). These plots will help
to understand how the recent extreme flooding and droughts are impacting the
vegetation and how changes in terrestrial seed dispersers (peccaries, deer,
rodents and tapir) are changing the forest composition.
■Night time caiman surveys: This survey involves spotlight surveys of the
river after dark to locate and identify caiman species in order to estimate
population size and distributions. Noosing is used to capture caiman to
obtain data on morphological measurements, sex and age. The black caiman
has recovered from near extinction caused by overexploitation during the
1950’s-1970’s. The competitive interactions between caimans shows how
the recovery of one species (black caiman) is affecting the populations of
other species (common and smooth fronted caimans) and how conservation
measures need to consider multiple interactions.
■Fishing Bat surveys: This river survey involves travelling along the river
for 5km during dusk recording the number of fishing bats seen flying over
the river. The students will also use a batbox (ultrasonic bat detector) to help
detect the bats. The fishing bats are being used as indicators of the smaller
sized fish production, similar to the wading birds.
In addition to these surveys there are dissertation studies where assistance may
also be required - for example assisting with behavioural data observations on
the primate species.
37
PERU DISSERTATIONS
PP251 The role of floating vegetation mats in the Pacaya-Samiria
Reserve, in providing breeding habitat for amphibians.
Start date: 14 June or 28 June; need to complete PP101
The Pacaya-Samiria Reserve contains a large diversity of amphibians and some
of the tree frog species (e.g. Hypsiboas punctatus, Dendropsophus triangulum,
Scinax garbei and Sphaenorhynchus lacteus and others) are specialised on
using the floating vegetation along the edge of the river, cut off channels and
oxbow lakes for breeding. One project could examine the effectiveness of
different techniques for surveying the communities on this floating vegetation.
The current survey technique consists of driving a boat into the vegetation which
then surrounds the boat and censusing the frogs in a 2m radius around the boat.
The calls of these frog species are mainly known and analysis of calls could be
used to estimate the communities on particular patches of floating vegetation as
a comparative survey technique. In addition the type of floating vegetation used
by adults of different species could be compared to determine whether there is
niche separation amongst the species.
PP252 Niche separation in caiman species
Start date: 14 June or 28 June; need to complete PP101.
There are three caiman species (Common, Black and Smooth-fronted) found in
the Pacaya Samiria National Park. This topic could examine the habitat usage
and feeding ecology of the three species to identify how they separate their
niches. Spotlight surveys could be completed along the edges of the main
river and in a series of oxbow lakes within the forest, some of which are still
connected to the main river and some of which are totally separated during
the dry season. The species, estimated size and habitat usage of each of the
caimans observed during these surveys could be recorded. Animals smaller
than 2m would be captured by noose wherever possible and more detailed
measurements (e.g. length, weight, sex etc) recorded from these captured
animals. Diet of the captured caimans could be examined by flushing out the
contents of the stomach, filtering the regurgitated food and classifying the main
constituents. The high abundance of these species and the length of the survey
season should ensure a good number of data points for this study. In addition
there are long data sets available from previous annual surveys of the caiman
against which changes in abundance of the various species could be assessed.
PERU DISSERTATIONS
38
PP253 Population trends and habitat preferences of Pink and
Grey River Dolphins in the Peruvian Amazon
Start date: 14 June or 28 June; need to complete PP101
The pink dolphin Inia geoffrensis and grey dolphin Sotalia fluviatilis are endemic
to the Amazon Rivers and function as indicator species for the general health
of aquatic habitats. Dolphins make an excellent indicator species because they
rapidly move out of polluted or degraded habitats and in turn quickly indicate
changes in the condition of aquatic systems. The dolphins are also easy to
count and observe since they frequently surface and are large-bodied and very
distinctive. The river dolphin population in Pacaya Samiria has been monitored
for several years using fixed-width transects along rivers, lakes and channels
using small boats. During these surveys, all dolphin encounters are recorded
noting the species, number of individuals, habitat in which the dolphins were
seen and the dolphin behaviour. Dissertation topics could examine the health of
the aquatic systems in the Peruvian Amazon by evaluating population trends of
the two species of river dolphin over time, or could focus on habitat, behaviour
and group size differences between the two species.
PP254 Estimating ground dwelling and arboreal mammal populations in
the Pacaya Samiria Reserve
Start date: 14 June or 28 June; need to complete PP101
Transect count data on the levees (non flooded forest areas) and areas of
forest that are flooded are being completed. Each time a large mammal (large
game birds such as chachalacas, guans and curassows are also counted) is
encountered along the transect line, the species and number of individuals, the
habitat type, the distance travelled along the transect line, and the perpendicular
distance of the mammal from the transect line are recorded. These data are
used to calculate population density estimates for each species in habitat
type using the DISTANCE software programme. These surveys provide good
data on arboreal species and some smaller ground mammals (e.g. agouti)
but underestimate the larger species (e.g. jaguars and other cats, tapirs, deer
etc). A network of 20 camera traps is being run to also gather data and using
CAPTURE and DENSITY software these data can be used to calculate the density
of species which can be identified to individual level because of distinctive
markings (e.g. jaguars, ocelots). The relative distribution of some of the other
commonly encountered species likely to be captured on these camera traps
(e.g. red-rumped agouti, pacas, red and grey brocket deer, tapirs, tayras etc)
could also be described. Comparing these estimates from the two methods
though may indicate much higher densities for the large ground mammals from
camera traps and much higher densities of arboreal species from the transect
data. The historical data from the transects can be used to assess the effects of
the extreme flooding events. Other ways this project could be developed would
be to compare how ground dwelling species separate their niches.
PP255 Niche separation in Tamarins, Howler Monkeys,
Squirrel Monkeys and other primates in the Peruvian Amazon
Start date: 14 June or 28 June; need to complete PP101
Multiple primate species can be found in rainforest habitats such as the
Peruvian Amazon. In order to combat competition associated with several
similar species living in close proximity, each species has evolved to occupy
a specific niche within the habitat. These adaptations include differences in
dietary requirements (frugivorous, folivorous and insectivorous primates),
preference for different habitat types within the forest (e.g. seasonally flooded
forest, upland forest and palm swamps) and variation in habitat use within the
same forest type (e.g. occupying different heights within the forest canopy
or variation in activity budgets). Twelve species of primates have been
recorded in the Pacaya Samiria National Park, but three species (red howler
monkeys, saddleback tamarins and common squirrel monkeys) are frequently
encountered along the survey transects and are therefore best suited for
dissertation projects. Upon locating a troop of one of these target species,
the monkeys will be followed for as long as possible, Behavioural data can be
collected using instantaneous scan sampling and recording troop size, position
in the canopy, behaviour and food preferences. Fruit samples may also be
collected to investigate species preference for colour and hardness.
PP256 Fish community usage of different habitats in the
Peruvian Amazon
Start date: 14 June or 28 June; need to complete PP101
This topic could be developed in a number of ways. For example, one
project could compare fish communities in a range of habitats in the reserve,
including shoreline edge of oxbow lakes with connections to the main river still
remaining, open water areas of oxbow lakes still connected to the main river
edge and open water areas of oxbow lakes not linked to the main river and the
main river edge. Sampling could be done using 30m x 3m gill nets with 3 inch
mesh and fished for as close to 1 hour as possible. Replicate sites could be
chosen to represent these habitat types and multiple one-hour catches made
at each of these sites. Other projects could utilise the data sets from previous
years to compare changes in fish species composition and abundance.
Additional topics could use independent fish sampling techniques in the same
habitats (throw nets, small beach seine), to help identify the species selectivity
of the gill nets being used to exploit the fish community, as well as to quantify
the size class structure of the commoner species. Another interesting study
could look at the distribution of fish in different habitats (e.g. under floating
vegetation, river edge, centre of the lakes etc) by completing transects using a
fish finder.
39
SOUTH AFRICA RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND FACILITIES
Terrestrial Research Objectives
Operation Wallacea and our partners, Wildlife and Ecological Investments
(WEI), coordinate large-scale research programmes to provide an empirical
backbone for key conservation projects in South Africa. From evaluating the
impact of elephant range expansion back into their historical range, to assessing
the roles of Protected Areas as sanctuaries for persecuted free-ranging leopard
populations, the South African research programme is designed to assist
conservation managers with pressing large-scale projects that they do not
necessarily have the resources to address.
Many of our current projects centre around the expansion of elephant
populations on the vegetation and associated diversity of key taxa. The South
Africa research programme covers a series of reserves across the country,
each using slightly different management strategies to tackle the problem of
controlling their elephant populations. The majority of big game areas in South
Africa are fenced in order to avoid the spread of disease and conflicts between
communities and dangerous animals. However, this restricts movement of
species such as elephants, which can lead to excessive habitat damage within
reserves where elephant feeding pressure is too high.
There are a number of different approaches being taken to the problem. The
first question that needs addressing is how the carrying capacity of a reserve
for elephants is calculated. This is not a question of how many elephants an
area of land can hold before the populations starts to decline, because by the
time this stage is reached, the habitat would have been almost completely
destroyed by elephants. Rather, the term “carrying capacity” relates more to
what the acceptable levels of damage are to a particular habitat type. In addition,
it is important to consider the fact that elephants don’t spread out evenly over
the fenced areas but rather have preferred areas of feeding based on access to
water or preferred trees, such as Marula. Thus the definition of acceptable levels
of damage needs to be expressed in terms of percentage of total reserve area
that has certain defined levels of serious damage. The Walker scale of elephant
browsing pressure is being used by the Opwall teams to assess the levels of
damage to trees and shrubs in different reserves at differing levels of elephant
SOUTH AFRICA
40
feeding pressure so that contours of similar levels of habitat damage can be
defined for each of the reserves. Data are being gathered at a range of elephant
grazing pressures so that estimates of levels of damage for a reserve with
differing levels of elephant populations can be predicted.
Operation Wallacea and WEI are also looking at the impact of management
interventions when the populations are deemed too high. In KwaZulu Natal, a
project called Space for Elephants is trying to persuade private game reserves
to drop their fences to create contiguous conservation areas. Private reserves
constitute over 60% of the protected areas in South Africa, so there is potential
to reinstate some old migratory routes if private reserves can buy into this
programme. Thanda Game Reserve has already dropped their fence-line with
the neighbouring Intibane property. Our teams have been asked to assess how
elephants are utilizing their new area and whether this is significantly impacting
the ecology of the system. In Pongola Reserve, where parts of the reserve are
subjected to huge grazing pressure, the elephants have taken the issue into their
own hands by traversing around fences at the local dam when water levels are
low. Dropping fences does not just allow elephants to expand their ranges, but
also affects the distribution of other herbivores and predators. Long term data
sets on the distribution of large mammal species in most of the study reserves
are also being gathered and are revealing some interesting patterns. Our team in
Pongola also investigate the behavioural impact of contraception – in this case
male vasectomies – to control population numbers.
Other South African projects involve the increasing of carrying capacities in
nutritionally poor reserves such as Welgevonden. Assessment of rhino home
ranges and territory mapping is also being carried out to identify suitable
candidates for translocation to other reserves in order to assist with conservation
breeding programmes. We are also assisting the Panthera conservation
organisation with their Limpopo Leopard Project (LLP) at Atherstone and
Welgevonden. WEI and Opwall check and process data from over 160 camera
traps for the Limpopo Leopard Project, allowing estimations of population
densities of this poorly understood species in the region.
Facilities
KwaZulu Natal Reserves
There are two reserves being studied in KwaZulu Natal: Pongola and Thanda
Reserves. Both are up market game reserves with high end tourist lodges.
Thanda is a Big Five reserve (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo) and
accommodation is in a community camp just outside the Reserve. Students
sleep in single-sex rooms or tents and there is a communal lecture and dining
area. The camp has its own boma and fire area where groups can socialise in the
evenings after a hard day’s field work. In Pongola, which does not have lions, a
research camp with a separate research centre has been built with twin bedded
accommodation and communal shower and toilet facilities. Volunteers based at
Pongola and Thanda need to prepare their own meals. Projects based at Pongola
are coded SP and those at Thanda are coded ST.
Sodwana Bay Marine Training Centre
The Sodwana Bay Training Facilities have been developed within an existing
dive centre in northern South Africa close to the Mozambique border and in a
picturesque part of the iSimangaliso World Heritage Wetlands Park. This marine
reserve lies adjacent to Africa’s southern-most coral reefs. Accommodation is in
tents situated in a shaded bush camp. There is a toilet and shower block with hot
and cold water. Meals are served in a separate dining and lecture area. Projects
based in Sodwana Bay are coded SS.
Waterberg sites
In the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve, the Opwall teams work at Welgevonden
Game Reserve and Atherstone Nature Reserve. Welgevonden is a leading reserve
in sustainable ecotourism and is home to over 50 different mammals, including
all of the Big Five. Volunteers will be accommodated at the new research centre
within the Reserve. Accommodation is in large canvas safari tents with shared
ablution facilities in a private fenced area. The camp has a central dining and
recreation area with a fully equipped kitchen with gas stove, oven, fridge and
freezer. Atherstone Nature Reserve is one of Limpopo Provincial Government’s
principal conservation reserves. Our research house is one of the few facilities
actually inside the reserve, and is based near the reserve’s main gate. Students
will be sleeping in single sex rooms. Volunteers prepare their own meals at
Welgevonden and Atherstone. Projects based in Welgevonden are coded SW
whilst those at Atherstone are coded SA.
41
SOUTH AFRICA RESEARCH ASSISTANT OPTIONS
The training course and survey options described below have been packaged
as a series of 2 or 4 week expeditions. Please read the packaged expedition
descriptions and then move to the constituent part descriptions for further
details of what you will be doing.
Expedition options
Elephant impact surveys in Thanda and dive training
South Africa Expedition 1 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 13 June
South Africa Expedition 2 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 4 July
South Africa Expedition 3 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 25 July
These 4 week expeditions are run in the Thanda Reserve and start with the
bush training and savannah ecology and management course (ST101).
The next two weeks are spent helping with the elephant impact and bird
surveys in the Thanda Reserve (ST103). The last week is spent in Sodwana
Bay learning to dive (SS105) or completing the Indian Ocean reef ecology
course (SS106).
Limpopo Leopard Conservation Programme in Atherstone
South Africa Expedition 4 Length: 2 weeks Start Date: 13 June
South Africa Expedition 6 Length: 2 weeks Start Date: 25 July
These 2 week expeditions in Atherstone Reserve in Limpopo start with
completing the bush training and savannah ecology and management
course (SA102). The second week is spent helping with the camera trap,
herbivore transect and bird surveys in the Atherstone Reserve (SA104).
SOUTH AFRICA
42
Limpopo Leopard Conservation Programme in Atherstone
South Africa Expedition 5 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 27 June
This 4 week expedition in Atherstone Reserve in Limpopo starts with
completing the bush training and savannah ecology and management
course (SA102). The next 3 weeks are spent helping with the camera trap,
herbivore transect and bird surveys in the Atherstone Reserve (SA104).
Constituent parts
ST101 Bushcraft Training and Savannah Ecology and Management Course
The objective of this training course in the Thanda reserve is to orientate
new volunteers in the African bush and to develop the skills and confidence
necessary to participate in surveys. Important rules and etiquette concerning
safety procedures on how to conduct yourself in a dangerous game area on
foot and what to do if the group walks into dangerous animals such as buffalo,
elephant and lion are covered. Training is also given in animal behaviour, how to
track animals and to identify safe and danger zones around large game species
when encountered and navigation using GPS and other techniques. Identification
training is given for large mammals from sightings, spoor (tracks) and scat
(droppings), common birds and their calls, major vegetation types and trees.
An additional objective of this course is to gain an understanding of savannah
ecology and management. A qualified and experienced field guide and armed
ranger lead each group of participants in the field. The course includes daily
field visits together with in-camp lectures and practicals.
SA102 Bushcraft Training and Savannah Ecology and Management Course
This course is the same as for ST101 but run in the Atherstone Reserve close to
the Botswana border.
ST103 Elephant Impact and Bird Diversity Surveys in Thanda
On this project you will be helping to assess the impact of elephants on
vegetation, and any associate knock-on effects on bird diversity – an indicator
of overall biodiversity. Volunteers working on this project will spend at least half
their time in the field and will be accompanied by experienced armed guards
with a stand-by vehicle at all times since there is a high density of game.
The survey provides a unique opportunity for volunteers to join small survey
teams completing surveys on foot with armed rangers in big game areas and
have wildlife encounter experiences not normally available to visitors. Detailed
measurements of grass volume, tree and shrub size structure, percentage
encroachment of bushes and levels of elephant browsing on trees and bushes
using the Walker scale will be completed on study plots across the whole
reserve. In addition, early morning bird point counts will be completed to get
a better understanding of avifaunal diversity in the area, and assess how bird
guilds are responding to variations in environmental conditions and management
practices. Students will spend their time in camp completing an African Wildlife
Conservation course which goes into much more detail about how wildlife
resources are managed and the major conservation issues faced in the region.
SA104 Limpopo Leopard Conservation Programme in Atherstone
On this project students will spend time assisting with three main programmes.
Firstly, groups will help in the field checking and downloading pictures from
the 80 camera traps around Atherstone Nature Reserve. Data will then have to
be checked and processed in camp, and prepared to be sent through to the big
cat conservation group Panthera. Teams will also be collecting data of large
mammal distributions and habitat utilisation by driving set 10km Game Transects
throughout the reserve. This data will then be used to estimate population
numbers and create predator/prey models for the reserve. Finally, students will
also collect data on bird diversity in the reserve. Atherstone has been closed
to the public for a number of years and, despite the large populations of game,
there has been little funding for management and research. Therefore managers
would like a baseline bird assessment for the reserve and monitor the ecological
impact of low recent levels of conservation management. This project provides
students with an amazing opportunity to work and live in a remote, tourist-free
reserve on the border of South Africa and Botswana.
SS105 PADI Open Water course
This one-week course is a prerequisite to any diving project. Open Water dive
training is free to Operation Wallacea volunteers, except for the costs of the PADI
registration card and the Open Water Crew Pack, which you need to bring with
you. Completion of this course will give you an internationally recognised diving
qualification and enable you to join general diving projects accompanied by
a Divemaster.
SS106 Indian Ocean Reef Ecology course
The course teaches identification of common genera and species of coral
and other macro-invertebrates, identification of the major reef-associated fish
families and common species and introduces a variety of methods and practices
used for scientific research in the marine environment.
43
SOUTH AFRICA DISSERTATIONS
SP261 The use of behavioural studies to assist with management
decisions for a large elephant population in a small private
game reserve
Start date: 13 June or 27 June
Between 1979 and 2001 over 800 elephants were reintroduced to over 58
reserves in South Africa, Pongola Game Reserve being one of them. The
elephant carrying capacity for Pongola has been estimated at 37 animals but the
numbers are at over 75 individuals. In 2008, the Disney Corporation provided
funding for vasectomies of the mature bull elephants in an attempt to cap the
population. The dominant male in the population was deemed too old for a
vasectomy so instead was treated with a GNRH antagonist in an attempt to
suppress musth and thus prevent him mating. Unfortunately, the regularity and
quantity of the necessary GNRH antagonist was not sufficient to fully suppress
musth and this male continued to impregnate females entering oestrus on the
Reserve, and as such the population continued to grow at a similar rate to before
the vasectomies.
Vasectomies do not affect male hormone levels and therefore should not affect
male sexual or social behaviour, although it is possible that females could
lose interest in vasectomised males if mating continues to be unsuccessful
and male-female associations could be affected. Towards the end of 2013, the
non-vasectomised bull was removed from the reserve. As this male was still
the dominant bull at the time of removal, the population has had to adapt. One
of our major investigations will now be to get a better grasp of the dominance
hierarchy on the reserve and see how the behavioural associations between
elephants is affected by the lack of recruitment to the population. Our project will
also investigate how females will associate with non-vasectomised adolescent
males, and ascertain whether it is necessary to bring forward the vasectomies of
these adolescent males.
Even if the population recruitment is completely stopped by the removal of the
GNRH-treated bull, the reserve still may have to deal with the more immediate
threat of such high present numbers on the Reserve. If elephants are to be
removed from Pongola then it is important to identify which individuals to
remove that will result in minimal disruption to herd dynamics and reduce the
likelihood of ‘delinquent’ elephants in the remaining herds at Pongola. Data
relating to this decision will be twofold; ranging patterns and association indices
of the herds and bull elephants will provide insight into cohesive units that
could be removed in their entirety and rates of behaviour exhibited by the bull
elephants and their interactions with other herd members will determine which
of the bulls have developed the full suite of social behaviour required for the
‘policing’ of adolescents and maintaining herd cohesion (meaning that they
could take control of the population should other bulls be removed).
SOUTH AFRICA DISSERTATIONS
44
SP262 Calculating the carrying capacity of the Pongola Reserve for
elephant populations
Start date: 13 June or 27 June
One of the most pressing issues on the Pongola reserve is the size of the
elephant population. Although the vasectomies should control the elephant
population in the long-term (see SP261), the landowners at Pongola are still
concerned about the immediate damage to vegetation caused by the high
density of elephants. Carrying capacity is famously difficult to estimate for a
game reserve – it is clearly not based on the maximum numbers of elephants
that the land can support before they start losing condition because the
elephants continue to thrive at double their estimated carrying capacity on
Pongola. Rather, carrying capacity for elephants relates more to the levels of
habitat damage that are acceptable. If that is the definition then what level of
habitat damage is acceptable and what density of elephants would result in
habitat damage only up to this level? Pongola offers an excellent opportunity
to collect quantifiable data on levels of habitat damage relating to density of
elephant usage of the area. The position of the elephant herds has been noted
virtually daily since 2008 and their usage of the reserve varies from areas with
very high levels of elephant usage to areas with very low levels of elephant
usage. The positional data could be plotted on GIS programmes to calculate
areas of differential elephant usage and these areas sampled to quantify levels
of damage to shrubs and trees using the standardised Walker scale. These data
could then be used to help set elephant carrying capacity levels in terms of
how many would be sustainable to keep levels of habitat damage below predetermined levels (e.g. less than 20% of the area must have 40% or more trees
and shrubs in the top 3 categories of the Walker damage scale).
SW263 Factors affecting the population size and distribution of large
mammals in the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve
Start date: 13 June or 27 June
The Waterberg Biosphere area contains nutritionally poor grass species which
hold a minimal grazing value for herbivores, which results in relatively low
carrying capacities of these species. Consequently, it is difficult to support the
population densities demanded by eco-tourist visitors to reserves, particularly
if reserves want to maintain sufficient numbers of large carnivores such as lion
that prey upon these herbivores. As tourism is a massive driver behind the
recent boom in land conversion from farmland to conservation in the region, it
is important to understand what factors are affecting the population dynamics
and distribution patterns of herbivores so that populations can be effectively
managed in the future. Welgevonden contains a wide range of herbivore species
including elephant, rhino, zebra, wildebeest, hartebeest, kudu, impala and other
antelope. The herbivore population is monitored each month using vehiclebased surveys throughout the reserve road system and annual helicopter census.
Between June and August each year, additional vehicle based surveys are
conducted each day along seven 10km long transect lines across the reserve.
During the daily and monthly surveys, all visual encounters with the herbivores
are recorded, noting the GPS location of the animal, the species, number of
individuals, age-sex class of each individual and habitat type. GIS maps showing
the distribution of vegetation types, habitats, water courses and man-made
structures in the reserve have also been produced. In addition to mammal
surveys, students will assist with habitat surveys conducted at 40 different
sites within the reserve as a means of assessing fire and elephant impact on
vegetation over time. Data collected during the 2015 field season may be added
to these long-term data sets to produce a range of different projects focusing
on individual species or multiple herbivore species. For example, GPS points
of target species can be uploaded on to GIS vegetation maps to investigate
distribution patterns and habitat preferences of the species. Game count data
may be used to investigate changes to species abundance and survival rates
over time in relation to environmental variables (temperature and rainfall)
or changes to habitat caused by fire and elephants. Alternatively, methods
comparison based studies could investigate differences in population density
estimates calculated from DISTANCE sampling during vehicle surveys and total
population counts from helicopter surveys. Students working at Welgevonden
will spend half of their time in the field while the other half will be spent in camp
doing data entry, a lecture series on African Wildlife Conservation, independent
work on dissertations, and assisting with creating new data sets for the reserve
management such as elephant and rhino individual ID kits. The first few days
after arrival in Welgevonden the incoming students need to complete a safety
course teaching them how to work safely on foot in game reserves.
SW264 Estimating the impact of elephants on habitat in
Welgevonden Reserve
Start date: 13 June or 27 June
This project has similar aims to SP262 in Pongola Reserve. In Welgevonden
two elephant herds have been tracked four times a day from satellite GPS
collars since 2008 and these data can be used to produce much more accurate
contours of elephant usage in the reserve. Measurements will be taken of
grass volume, percentage cover of shrubs, size structure of trees and levels of
damage of each shrub and tree using the Walker scale. Lower intensity surveys
concentrating on just Walker damage levels could be completed from 1km
transects in the areas of different elephant usage. These data could then be
analysed to produce contours encompassing areas of the reserve with equal
levels of damage. Welgevonden is a high veld reserve with lower productivity
levels than the Pongola reserve and the numbers of elephants that an area could
sustain to stay below pre-determined acceptable levels of damage may well be
different to those in a lowland reserve. Students working at either of these sites
will spend half of their time in the field whilst the other half will be spent in
camp doing data entry, a lecture series on African Conservation and independent
work on dissertations. The first few days after arrival in Welgevonden the
incoming students need to complete a safety course teaching them how to work
safely on foot in game reserves.
SW265 The effects of habitat, elephant damage and fire management
on winter bird communities in Welgevonden
Start date: 13 June or 27 June
Each summer and winter for five years prior to the 2015 season, 40 sites across
Welgevonden Game Reserve have been surveyed for bird diversity through point
counts. At each of these sites detailed habitat assessments are conducted each
winter to assess spatial heterogeneity, dominant tree and shrub species, levels
of elephant impact and evidence of fire damage. Students on this project will
also have access to habitat and vegetation maps for the reserve as well as high
resolution aerial photography and extensive spatial data highlighting the areas
of all management and natural burns over the last three years. All of this data
can be used to assess the key factors affecting bird guild diversity across the
reserve. Additionally satellite data for the region and derived environmental data
could then be used to determine ranges of the commoner species and estimate
population sizes. Students working at Welgevonden will spend half of their
time in the field whilst the other half will be spent in camp doing data entry,
completing a lecture course on African Conservation and independent work
on dissertations. The first few days after arrival in Welgevonden the incoming
students need to complete a safety course teaching them how to work safely on
foot in game reserves.
45
MADAGASCAR RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND FACILITIES
Madagascar boasts some of the most spectacular biodiversity in the world
(lemurs, tenrecs, boababs and over half of all known chameleon species), much
of which is endemic. The Operation Wallacea surveys are completing research
on the dry forests and associated wetlands of Mahamavo in the north and the
reefs around Nosy Be Island.
Forest Research Objectives
Mahamavo forests
The Mahamavo dry forest ecosystem and adjacent wetlands have exceptional
biodiversity, but much remains to be discovered. Diurnal lemurs include
Coquerel’s Sifaka Propithecus coquereli, and Common Brown Lemur Eulemur
fulvus with another 5 - 6 species of nocturnal lemurs. Madagascar is the
global centre of diversity for chameleons. Two spectacular species are found
in Mahamavo, Furcifer oustaleti and Furcifer angeli. The wetlands support the
critically endangered Madagascar fish eagle Haliaeetus vociferoides, a flagship
species for the area, and Humblot’s heron Ardea humbloti, an endangered species.
The Mahamavo forest provides livelihoods for several neighbouring communities
in terms of agricultural land, fuel and construction wood as well as some wild
food, hunting and medicinal plants. The wetlands in the coastal area support
fisheries, which constitute the main resources for coastal communities.
In 2015 the Operation Wallacea teams will be completing a series of sample
routes across the Mahamavo forests. Data will be gathered on forest structure
and communities of key taxonomic groups including birds, herpetofauna
(reptiles and amphibians) small mammals such as tenrecs, rodents and
bats, and lemurs. The output from this work will be a report submitted to the
Madagascar government and will provide a baseline against which changes
can be assessed in future years and to provide the information needed to
establish the forests as a Community Managed Protected Area for sustainable
use. DBCAM, who are the local partners for Opwall at this site, are also looking
at linking development of local businesses with long term protection of the
Mahamavo forests.
MADAGASCAR
46
Nosy Be
Nosy Be is the premier dive destination for Madagascar but there are no data
available on the reef fish communities or health of the reefs. In 2014 Opwall
began completing surveys around the Lokobe reserve area and anecdotal data
indicated that fish stocks and reef health had improved from previous years.
A mapping project of the reefs of Lokobe was also initiated in 2014, and so in
2015 the first year’s comparison surveys of this reef system will be able to be
completed. The team will be completing stereo video transect surveys of the
reefs to collect data on the reef fish community composition and biomass, the
percentage coral cover, coral community structure and levels of bleaching and
disease on the reefs.
Facilities
Mahamavo
Expeditions run from a base camp in Mariarano village, which is permanently
occupied during the field season. Accommodation is in tents next to a building
converted for use as a field laboratory with a library, computers running the
biodiversity database and office, GIS, and statistics software. There are jungle
showers and toilets in the camp. The village is very friendly and living amongst
this remote local community is a special experience. In addition to the camp at
Mariarano, other tented forest camps are also used as bases for the surveys in
the more remote parts of the forest. Projects based in Mahamavo are coded MM.
Nosy Be
Opwall has established a permanent research base in a walled villa on the edge
of Maradoka village. Accommodation is in tents next to the beach within the
walled area in an idyllic location. Diving is done on the reefs about a 5 minute
boat ride away from the shore, along the coastline of the Lokobe Reserve.
Projects based in Nosy Be are coded MN.
MADAGASCAR RESEARCH ASSISTANT OPTIONS
The survey options described below have been packaged into 2, 4 and 6 week
expeditions to target the weeks and camps where additional survey manpower
is required. Please read the packaged expedition descriptions and then move
to the constituent part descriptions.
Expedition options
Madagascar forest and marine wildlife
Madagascar Expedition 1 Length 6 weeks Start Date: 21 June
This 6 week expedition starts with a Madagascar Wildlife and Culture
course run at the main Mariarano research camp (MM101). The group
will then spend 2 weeks working with the different biodiversity research
teams on lemurs, chameleons, Nile crocodiles and the other species
across the Mahamavo forests (MM102). After 3 weeks in the forest the
group will move to the marine research camp in Nosy Be and will start
with a dive training course to PADI Open Water level (MN103), followed
the next week by the Indian Ocean reef ecology course (MN104). The
last week is spent helping with the stereo video surveys for the reef fish
and other marine monitoring techniques (MN105). If you are already dive
trained then in week 4 you go straight onto the Indian Ocean reef ecology
course and then spend 2 weeks helping with the marine monitoring team
(MN105). This 6 week expedition is the best package to see many of
the dry forest Madagascar lemur, chameleon and other endemic species
and learn about forest biodiversity survey techniques as well as gaining
reef fish identification skills and some experience of marine biodiversity
surveying. This expedition starts in Mariarano and finishes in Nosy Be.
Madagascar forest wildlife and diving
Madagascar Expedition 2 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 21 June
This 4 week expedition follows the same itinerary as expedition 1 but with
only two weeks in the forest. The first week is spent on the Madagascar
Wildlife and Culture course (MM101) followed by a week working with
the biodiversity assessment teams (MM102). The following two weeks
are based at the Nosy Be marine research camp learning to dive (MN103)
followed by the Indian Ocean reef ecology course (MN104). If you are
already dive trained then in week 3 you go straight onto the Indian Ocean
reef ecology course (MN104) and then spend your last week helping with
the marine monitoring team (MN105). This expedition starts in Mariarano
and finishes in Nosy Be.
47
Madagascar lemurs and endemics
Madagascar expedition 3 Length: 2 weeks Start Date: 21 June
This 2 week option gives you an experience of the endemic Madagascar
wildlife. The first week is spent on the Madagascar Wildlife and Culture
course (MM101) followed by a week working with the biodiversity
assessment teams (MM102). This expedition starts and finishes in
Mariarano.
Constituent parts
MM101 Madagascar Wildlife and Culture Course
This course consists of a series of lectures and practicals in the field to
demonstrate the different ecological survey techniques being used and how data
from the surveys can be analysed. In addition the course will teach identification
of some of the more common species and help gain an understanding of their
ecology. The course will also give participants an overview of the conservation
issues affecting Madagascar and an understanding of the diverse Malagasy
cultures.
Madagascar diving and marine surveys
Madagascar expedition 4 Length: 4 weeks Start Date: 5 July
This 4 week option is designed for a small number of students to join
the marine monitoring team in Nosy Be. The first two weeks are spent on
training – PADI Open Water dive training (MN103) followed by an Indian
ocean reef ecology course (MN104) to learn the marine species likely
to be encountered as well as the survey techniques. Then for the next
two weeks the group will be helping with the stereo video surveys of the
reefs, video surveys of line transects to estimate coral cover and coral
community structure and the belt transects for macro-invertebrates. This
4 week expedition will give you a good knowledge of Indian Ocean reef
species, skills in diving and experience of working with a range of marine
survey techniques. This project starts and finishes in Nosy Be.
MM102 Dry Forest and Wetlands Biodiversity Assessment
This option will be based either at the main camp in Mariarano or in one of the
even more remote satellite camps. By doing this option for multiple weeks it
will give you the option of seeing a wide range of wildlife and gaining a more
in-depth knowledge of the ecosystems and species of this remote part of
Madagascar. There is a huge range of research and survey teams that you can
join. These include herpetofauna standard search transects as well as spotlight
surveys in the evening for chameleons and frogs. Boat-based spotlight surveys
for crocodiles are also being completed and there are specialist scientists
working on colour change in chameleons. Lemur survey transects are being
completed both during the day and also at night using spotlights. Additionally
there are other teams studying and live-trapping the nocturnal lemurs to look at
niche separation in the various species. Bird point count surveys and mist net
surveys are also being undertaken as well as boat-based transects for the water
birds. Small mammal surveys using live traps are also conducted. One of the
main objectives of the survey is to present the forest areas for potential funding
under the REDD+ scheme and this requires a large number of 20m x 20m plots
to be surveyed to estimate the amount of carbon stored in woody vegetation.
In addition this activity monitors trends in some indicators of forest physical
parameters (canopy cover, sapling density). Volunteers can rotate between these
survey groups throughout their stay.
MADAGASCAR
48
MN103 PADI Open Water Dive Training Course
This one-week course is a prerequisite to any diving project. Open Water dive
training is free to Operation Wallacea volunteers except for the costs of the PADI
registration card and the Open Water Crew Pack, the latter of which you need
to bring with you. Completion of this course will give you an internationally
recognised diving qualification and enable you to join general diving projects
accompanied by a Divemaster.
Additional dive training
Additional dive training beyond Open Water level is available and can be
fitted around your work on other projects so you do not need to specify the
additional courses on your options list.
Courses include Advanced Open Water Diver ($220), Emergency First
Response ($150) or Rescue Diver ($400 - includes Emergency First
Response). The price includes the necessary manual and registration card.
Extra courses may not be available at all times and enrolment may depend
on the number of people wanting the training. In order to guarantee
availability you should let Opwall know at least 8 weeks prior to your arrival
on-site. All prices listed are in US dollars.
MN104 Indian Ocean Reef Ecology Course
This one-week course is a prerequisite for joining the reef research programme
and is free for Operation Wallacea volunteers. The course teaches identification
of common genera and species of coral and other macro-invertebrates,
identification of the major reef-associated fish families and common species
and introduces a variety of methods and practices used for scientific research in
the marine environment. The practicals can also be done by snorkelling if there
are volunteers who do not want to dive. Most of the reefs around the Maradoka
camp at Nosy Be are shallow (<10m) so the course can easily be done using
either dive or snorkel practicals.
MN105 Reef Fish and Coral Monitoring
2015 will be the first comparison year in an annual monitoring programme
established in 2014. The team will be gathering data on the Nosy Be reefs
using a stereo video system developed by the University of Western Australia.
This system allows a surveyor to swim along transects and video the fish
encountered. Then in the lab, by playing back the two video images on a single
computer screen using specialist software, not only can the images be freezeframed to accurately identify all fish encountered, but also size estimation can
be done to below 4% error. Benthic communities on the island reefs will be
surveyed by laying 50m tapes along depth contours. A surveyor swims along
the tape holding it in their left hand and using a video under their other shoulder,
filming the tape and adjacent corals. Coral cover and community structure of
hard and soft corals are then assessed from lab based analysis of the video
footage using the continuous method. In addition, invertebrate belt transects
will be used to monitor the populations of key species including sea urchins.
Volunteers on this project will be helping with laying transects, collecting data in
the water, and completing the video surveys, but will also be heavily involved in
the analysis of the images in the on-site laboratory.
49
MADAGASCAR DISSERTATIONS
MM271 Spatial behavioural ecology of the
Malagasy Giant Hognose snake
Start date: 21 June
The Malagasy Giant Hognose snake Leioheterodon madagascariensis, is
Madagascar’s largest colubrid snake, attaining sizes greater than 1.5m in length.
This species has been documented engaging in ritual combat and active nest
defence and a preliminary investigation suggests that the behavioural ecology of
L. madagascariensis is more complex than previously thought. For this project
all sightings will be recorded using a GPS receiver and all animals encountered
will be captured, measured, weighed and micro-chipped to allow individual
identification. Other novel methods may also be employed to investigate
the daily habitat usage patterns of each individual. All data collected will be
visualised and analysed utilising GIS software.
MM272 Ecology of amphibians in Mahamavo
Start date: 21 June
Amphibians play a vital role in the ecosystems where they are found. Nine
species of amphibians are currently known from Mahamavo, some of which
occur in relatively high abundances, even during the long dry season. Data
for this project will be obtained by surveying rice paddies, ephemeral and
permanent ponds and lakes, recording all encounters, noting the species, the
number of individuals and the specific details of the immediate habitat where
the animals are found. All data collected will be used to create a monitoring
system for future studies whereby the species composition at each water body
can be monitored.
MM273 Thermal ecology and UV-B requirements of chameleons,
skinks and geckos
Start date: 21 June
Ultraviolet light (UVB) is an essential requirement for vitamin D synthesis in the
skin of lizards, allowing the uptake of dietary calcium which is necessary for
proper bone growth and neurological function. There are also thermal demands
upon these animals in order for successful Vitamin D production. This project
aims to investigate i) the thermal and UVB preferences of some of the lizard
species at Mahamavo and ii) how these species utilise their habitat to optimise
their exposure to the sun, and hence UVB irradiation, while thermoregulating.
Data will be collected by surveying routes for lizard species during daylight
hours. Once found, UVB intensity, measured using a solarmeter, temperature
and other habitat characteristics will be collected along with morphometric
measurements of the individual animals.
MADAGASCAR DISSERTATIONS
50
MM274 Colour variability and the ecological use of colour in the
chameleons and geckos of Mahamavo
Start date: 21 June
There are a wide range of endemic lizards in the dry deciduous forests of
northwestern Madagascar. Colour is used in fundamentally distinct ways by
the different taxonomic groups of lizards found in Mahamavo. Chameleons are
depicted in the media as solely using colour change for crypticity, but in reality
the main role of colour change here is in communication with other chameleons.
There is some interesting colour variability within Angel’s chameleon and
Oustalet’s chameleon as well. There are three species of Uroplatus geckos that
really do use colour and colour-change to maintain crypticity. One species is a
dead-leaf mimic, a second is a twig mimic and the third is a bark mimic. Colour
is variable within species and some change colour quite effectively. Phelsuma
are a third group of lizards in which there is substantial colour variability within
individuals. They respond to changes in lighting and temperature as well as
potential threats from predators. Questions regarding variation in colour and how
colour-change is being used can be addressed in all three groups of lizards.
Colour can be quantified through using standardized photographs or by using
a specialized reflectance spectrometer depending on the specific research
question being addressed. Analyses of colour can use general linear models
to examine variation in hue, saturation and value and look for statistically
significant differences or by use principal components analysis to examine and
compare entire reflectance spectrums.
MM275 Population ecology of Nile crocodiles
Start date: 21 June
In Madagascar, Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus have a stronghold in isolated
areas of the west coast including the Mahamavo wetlands. However crocodiles
are threatened by egg collection for crocodile farms and by local people
killing large crocodiles perceived to be a threat. For these reasons, crocodiles
are currently listed on CITES Appendix II in Madagascar and international
trade in crocodile products from Madagascar is banned. Since there is very
limited information about the crocodile population in Mahamavo, it would be
very valuable to make a robust baseline estimate of population size and to
begin a monitoring programme. Students selecting this project will be able
to use a speedboat to undertake surveys in the wetlands by day and at night
using distance sampling and taking photographs of basking crocodiles. The
photos can be used to uniquely identify crocodiles by the scale patterns on
the left and right sides of the base of the tail. This permits ‘capture’-‘mark’‘recapture’ analysis of the crocodile population without the danger associated
with handling these animals. It would be possible to compare population size
estimates derived from DISTANCE sampling and the detection histories of the
‘marked’ animals. Additionally it will be possible to explore ranging behaviour,
territoriality and estimate densities.
MM278 Niche separation and the impacts of disturbance on avian
communities in the dry forest
Start date: 21 June
Birds are often used as indicator species for overall ecosystem condition, with
species from different ecological niches being impacted to varying degrees by
habitat disturbance. The avifauna of the Mahamavo forests contains a number of
restricted range species, and other species being restricted to particular habitats.
Students choosing this subject will undertake timed species counts and mist
net surveys to make comparisons between avian communities in different
habitat types and between differing levels of human habitat disturbance. Species
distribution models using the spatial records for a given species can then be
constructed and the percentage of the variability that can be explained by various
environmental covariates (e.g. elevation, climate, land cover) determined in
order to construct and validate a statistical model of the probability that a given
species will be found in a particular landscape unit. These models can then be
expressed as a habitat suitability map and the overlap between these species
used to determine the level of niche separation. These dissertation subjects will
contribute to our understanding of the avian communities of Mahamavo, and in
particular to determining the habitat preferences and relative impacts of habitat
disturbance on the bird species from different ecological niches and of different
levels of conservation priority.
MM276 Population ecology of colubrid snakes or
chameleons in Madagascar
Start date: 21 June
Three of the species of colubrid snake in Mahamavo, Mimophis mahfalensis,
Leioheterodon madagascariensis, and Madagascarophis colubrinus, are very
abundant and can be safely handled and uniquely marked by clipping ventral
scales. There are also two very abundant chameleon species, Furcifer oustaleti
and F. angeli which can be uniquely marked with UV paint. This system would
allow a student to go out with the herpetology team to walk routes on lots of
occasions and capture snakes or chameleons, record the locations with a GPS
and note individual identification numbers. This would allow estimates to be
made of population sizes and densities using mark-recapture analysis. The data
could also be used to map home ranges for each individual using minimum
convex polygons or kernels and hence test whether these species are territorial.
MM277 Microhabitats and niche partitioning in chameleons, skinks,
geckos or snakes in Madagascar
Start date: 21 June
The dry forests in Mahamavo support a very diverse reptile assemblage which
shares the same habitat. Competitive exclusion theory suggests that sympatric
species must partition their niches for them to persist and the reptiles in this
forest provide a great system to investigate how this occurs. In Mahamavo
there are two abundant chameleon species, Furcifer oustaleti and Furcifer
angeli. It is thought that Oustalet’s chameleon prefers more degraded forest to
Angel’s chameleon, but additionally these species may be selecting different
microhabitat niches in terms of height above the ground selected for feeding,
branch thickness, ambient temperatures or structural complexity of vegetation.
A similar situation exists with a pair of closely related skink species Trachylepis
elegans and Trachylepis gravenhorstii which are both very abundant in the forest.
It appears that T. elegans is more abundant in drier habitats than T. gravenhorstii,
but the picture is probably more complicated at the microhabitat scale. There
are also three species of leaf-tailed Uroplatus geckos: U. ebenaui, U. henekli
and U. guntheri which share the same cryptic adaptations and feeding strategies
yet differ markedly in size. With field data collected from a large number of
individuals, it would be possible to compare niches and identify factors which
separate species’ niches using principal component analysis, linear discriminant
models or regression trees.
MM279 Occupancy modelling for Bushpigs and Indian Civets with
camera traps
Start date: 21 June
In the Mahamavo dry forest there are regular recordings of Indian civets Viverrica
indica and bushpigs Potamachoerus larvatus on the network of camera traps.
These data could be used to estimate population size by analysing the detection
histories of each species using occupancy models. This powerful approach
allows occupancy of sampling units (camera locations) over the course of the
season to be estimated taking into account the detectability of the species.
Estimates of population size using the Randomised Encounter Model could also
be made for these two species and the population estimates of the two methods
compared. In addition, a small number of sightings of other species including
fossa Cryptoprocta ferox and falanouc Eupleres major have been recorded over
the past two years. Estimates of their abundance could be obtained from the
ratios of sightings on the camera traps to the Indian Civets and Bushpigs which
would have estimated population sizes.
51
MM280 Ecology and behaviour of nocturnal lemurs in the dry deciduous
forests of Northwestern Madagascar
Start date: 21 June
Lemurs are a highly diverse taxonomic group (>100 species) and at the same
time the most threatened group of mammals with about 94% of all assessed
species being categorized as either vulnerable, endangered, or critically
endangered. A total of six nocturnal lemur species have been reported from the
Mariarano area: Microcebus murinus, Microcebus ravelobensis, Cheirogaleus
medius, Phaner pallescens, Lepilemur edwardsi and Avahi occidentalis.
Nocturnal lemurs are generally much less studied than their diurnal cousins
but face the same anthropogenic threats. The aim of this study is to investigate
the ecology, behaviour, abundance, and spatial distribution of three different
nocturnal lemur genera Microcebus spp., Lepilemur edwardsi, Avahi occidentalis
in forest fragments in the Mahamavo region of Northwestern Madagascar. Mouse
lemurs Microcebus spp. live in a dispersed neighbourhood system with animals
forming sleeping groups during day and foraging solitarily at night. Lepilemur
and Avahi are pair-living cat-sized lemurs, in which pair partners can be either
far (Lepilemur) or close to each other (Avahi) during night time. Natural habitats
in the study area consist of a matrix of wetlands, mangroves, riverine and dry
deciduous forest fragments which vary in size. Various forest trails and a 16ha
grid system (400m x 400m) allow access to the forest. Data collection will
involve capture-recapture surveys, systematic behavioural observations during
nocturnal survey walks or at certain locations of interest (e.g. stationary feeding
sites, sleeping sites and experimental arenas), and monitoring of focal animals
that are equipped with radio collars. Complementary data can be simultaneously
collected on the used microhabitats (e.g. substrate use and height above
ground), group size, and behaviour (e.g. locomotion, feeding, flight response
and vocalization). Research questions could focus on the population ecology
of mouse lemurs in relation to distribution and habitat preferences of sympatric
species or the effect of climatic variables on activity, the behavioural ecology of
mouse lemurs in relation to intra and interspecific interactions and feeding and
sleep sites, or community ecology of lemurs in relation to ecological gradients.
MM281 Feeding ecology, habitat preferences and activity budgets of
Coquerel’s Sifaka
Start date: 21 June
Coquerel’s Sifakas Propithecus coquereli live in loose extended family groups
of 5-10 individuals. They favour gallery forests with large fruiting trees such
as Ficus, but can be found in a range of habitats including degraded forests
and small forest fragments. This species is most active in the morning and
late afternoon where time is spent travelling and feeding, interacting with other
individuals and engaging in spectacular leaps between trees. Although globally
endangered due to habitat loss within their small range, the sifakas are the most
abundant of the diurnal lemurs in Mahamavo region of Madagascar. There are
semi-habituated groups of Coquerel’s Sifaka which can be reliably observed
every day close to Mariarano base camp. Local people never persecute this
species in Mariarano as it is taboo to harm them, so they can be approached
closely and observed for long periods. Students studying this species should
develop an ethogram and devise a behaviour recording protocol such as using
instantaneous scan sampling. It will be possible to construct activity budgets
and use selection indices to test for habitat or food preference. In addition,
students can map the home range and habitat preferences of sifakas by
recording the position of the troop at regular intervals using a hand-held GPS
unit and analysing this with regard to environmental data using GIS software.
This project is likely to be physically arduous, as it will require day-long
observations of the sifakas (from dawn until dusk), and may involve following
troops through dense forest vegetation away from existing trails.
MADAGASCAR DISSERTATIONS
52
MM282 Species distribution modelling in Madagascar
Start date: 21 June
Distribution models allow a set of spatial records for a given species (from
our databases) to be integrated with maps of environmental covariates (e.g.
elevation, climate and land cover) in order to construct and validate a statistical
model of the probability that a given species will be found in a particular
landscape unit. These models can then be expressed as a habitat suitability
map. It will be possible for students to join one of the science teams and
contribute to collecting field data for lemurs, forest birds, wetland birds, or
reptiles and amphibians and then use our entire dataset to make models for a
set of species using either GLM or Maxent. Outputs from these studies would
be very helpful as the maps produced can feed directly into our systematic
conservation planning process and inform the management of the Mahamavo
region. High quality maps are also excellent communication tools for explaining
the significance of the site to decision makers.
MM283 Landscape ecology in Madagascar
Start date: 21 June
By conducting biodiversity surveys we build up a knowledge base concerning
patterns in the environment. However, in order to make resilient conservation
plans for a dynamic future characterised by land cover change, climate change,
human population growth and infrastructure development, we need to be able
to understand the processes which are affecting the distribution and density of
species within the landscape. It would be possible to join the teams conducting
field surveys of lemurs, forest birds or reptiles to contribute to data collection,
then return to base camp and use our full database, linked to our spatial data,
to infer population processes from patterns of biodiversity. In particular it would
be very useful to test to what extent various species in a particular guild are
affected by patch size, edge effects, isolation and compactness and therefore
predict the likely consequences for biodiversity of habitat fragmentation in future
environmental scenarios.
MM284 Community ecology in Madagascar
Start date: 21 June
Which processes (including habitat and ecological interactions) structure
communities of forest birds, reptiles and lemurs in Mahamavo? In terms of
habitat, there is scope for comparison of primary and secondary dry forest and
exploration of the effects of gradients in moisture between relatively moist and
highly xeric forests. This might permit the identification of indicator species for
particular forest types. A more sophisticated approach would be to use Mantel
tests to test a suite of competing hypotheses about the environmental processes
which explain pairwise dissimilarity in the community of reptiles/birds/lemurs.
Pairs could be studied and differences investigated as a function of distance,
difference in environmental variables such as moisture, and difference in habitat
configuration. Additionally it would be possible to test whether ecological
interactions, especially competition, within a taxonomic group may be
structuring the community. This could be achieved by co-occurrence tests or
generalised dissimilarity models. For some groups, development of ecological
dissimilarity (ED) based monitoring indicators for environmental condition
which track communities through ecological space through time would be a
very promising direction to investigate. Alternative directions to take might be to
make distribution models and then maps of beta-diversity or to use numerical
classification to make maps of community types.
MM285 Forest land tenure and conservation revenue sharing in
protected areas of northern Madagascar
Start date: 21 June
Forested land in Madagascar both within and outside protected areas has
been officially considered as being owned by the state since the colonial
era, while complex and nuanced customary rights and tenure systems exist
as a parallel but largely unrecognised de facto traditional system. The rapid
expansion of the coverage of protected areas on the island in the last decade
has occurred alongside the emergence of schemes such as biodiversity offsets,
direct payments, and forest related emissions reductions/mitigation schemes
under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Reduced Emissions
from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD). These new innovative
models of conservation within inhabited multiple use protected areas where
local communities have significant natural resource dependency and often
live in poverty has brought into sharp focus the importance for the promoters
of conservation to better understand and recognise the customary systems.
Students choosing this option will work in partnership with a Malagasy student
and carry out spatial and social surveys to map and document the customary
rights and land tenure systems in different parts of the Mahamavo forest. The
studies will contribute to a broader effort in Madagascar to inform the forest
tenure policy processes, to ensure that protected areas better recognise the
customary system, and the rights of Malagasy forest people to legally (and
sustainably) use the natural resources in their ancestral forests.
MM286 Economic impacts of tourism and conservation in the
Mahamavo forests
Start date: 21 June
Community Based Tourism and Ecotourism are frequently adopted as strategies
to provide alternative livelihoods for communities living in and adjacent to
protected areas in Madagascar. The community of Mariarano benefits in various
ways from the tourism, with the provision of direct employment in tourism
and research services, the payment of entry fees for working in the forest and
through opportunities for local entrepreneurs to provide services to visiting
tourists and groups. Conservation activities in the Mahamavo area implemented
by international and local NGOs has also provided some employment and
livelihood activities. Students choosing this topic will work in partnership with a
Malagasy student to assess the economic impacts for local people in Mariarano
from tourism and conservation. Using quantitative surveys, and participatory
rural appraisal tools, the dissertations will examine the relative benefits accrued
from the different revenue streams from tourism and conservation.
MM288 Feasibility study of establishing a community managed
protected area for sustainable use: Governance and conservation
revenue distribution
Start date: 21 June
The forests of Mahamavo currently receive no form of official protection and
face threats from regional demand for charcoal production and expansion of
inefficient agriculture. This projects looks at the feasibility of establishing a new
community managed protected area for the Mahamavo forests using a mixed
methods approach. Students undertaking this project will use biodiversity data
collected over the past five years to do an analysis to formulate a potential
conservation zoning plan for the area. Secondly, students shall work in
partnership with Malagasy students and carry out key stake holder interviews,
focus groups and household surveys to examine current uses of the forest by
the local community, identify needs and potentials of developing alternative
livelihoods and investigate what mechanisms can be used to incorporate the
local people into the management structure and governance of the area.
MM289 Investigating livelihoods and potential livelihood
alternatives and intensifications for the local communities with
the Mahamavo forests
Start date: 21 June
Local communities within rural areas of Madagascar are very dependent on
the forests for their daily lives. This dependency takes many forms including
wild foods, medicinal uses and the production of timber and charcoal. Using
key stakeholder interviews, focus groups and household surveys, this project
shall investigate the level of forest dependency that local people have and how
it varies across different villages around the fringes of the Mahamavo forests.
Students choosing this project shall then examine the potential for livelihood
alternatives to reduce forest dependency. Livelihood alternatives might include
bee keeping, production of essential oils and involvement in ecotourism.
There is also scope within the project to investigate potential of livelihood
intensification for example how local communities can add value to their current
agricultural practices.
MM287 Assessment and valuation of ecosystem service provision in
Madagascar
Start date: 21 June
Local people in poor rural villages such as Mariarano depend on the natural
environment for almost all their daily needs. In the Mahamavo region the main
economic activities are rice agriculture, fishing, charcoal production and zebu
pastoralism. There is considerable scope to work with local people and our
social scientists to elicit this traditional ecological knowledge and develop a
conceptual model of which provisioning ecosystem services are considered
important (e.g. the fisheries, fresh water, pasture for zebu, wood from the forest),
who uses the services, how far they travel to obtain services, what kind of forest/
lake/mangrove etc is most suitable for a particular resource use and whether it
is possible to place monetary value on any services (e.g. with market prices or
substitution costs). The next step might then be to cross-walk this information
into parameters of GIS models for the probability that landscape units will
provide particular services. In this way it should be possible to build a robust
map of ecosystem service provision across the landscape. Such outputs would
be extremely useful in conservation planning, especially if they can be compared
with maps of biodiversity value.
53
MEXICO RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND FACILITIES
Forest research objectives
The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in Mexico is a huge expanse of tropical forest
that is part of the Selva Maya (Mayan Jungle) that encompasses Mexico,
Guatemala and Belize and spans over 11 million hectares, making it the largest
section of tropical forest north of the Amazon. This stretch of forest was also
home to Ancient Mayan civilization and the city of Calakmul was one of the
largest and most powerful cities during the pre-classic and classic period of the
Maya (250BC to 900AD). Today, the extensive pyramids and ruined cities lie
sprawled through the dense jungle, with some of the taller structures towering
above the canopy at 65m in height. In addition, Calakmul contains diverse
and abundant wildlife with many endemic species. The forest is one of the few
remaining strongholds of large mammals such as jaguar, puma, Baird’s tapir,
and spider monkey in addition to over 90 species of herpetofauna, 50 species
of bat, and 350 resident bird species. For this reason, Calakmul is an UNESCO
World Heritage Site of Culture and Nature.
The Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is an extremely important wildlife corridor
that ensures gene flow between animal populations, and that populations
can withstand natural disasters such as droughts, forest fires, hurricanes and
floods. As Mexico and Central America experience all four of these extreme
weather conditions, forest connectivity is extremely important. Moreover, forest
corridors are crucial for animals with extensive ranging patterns such as jaguar
and tapir. Although the reserve itself is very well managed and deforestation is
not a major problem, the forest surrounding the reserve that connects Calakmul
to the other protected areas in the Selva Maya is disappearing at an alarming
rate. The cause of the problem is increased population size combined with an
unpredictable climate. Traditional Mayan farming methods are sustainable, but
with more people needing land to farm, there is huge pressure to clear more
forest. As crops continue to fail due to excessive or insufficient rain, more and
more people are switching to cattle farming which requires huge areas of forest
to be felled.
MEXICO
54
The aim of the Operation Wallacea project in Calakmul is twofold: to reduce
the threats to the Calakmul forest and maintain its connectivity to the remainder
of the Selva Maya by providing training and funding for sustainable alternative
sources of income for local people, and to monitor forest coverage and diversity
in and around the reserve to determine the efficacy of these management
strategies. As Calakmul is such an enormous area we can only run the
monitoring programme with large teams of people divided across a range of
research locations so scientist and students participating in the project enjoy
an action packed survey schedule and the chance to visit multiple areas of the
reserve.
Marine research objectives
Akumal is a small coastal town located approximately 1.5 hours drive south from
the major tourist destination of Cancun. The name Akumal literally means “home
of the turtles” in Mayan. It earned this name due to the numerous turtle nesting
sites along the bays located in the Akumal area and due to the permanent
presence of juvenile turtles in the sea grasses just off shore. Three species can
regularly be found around Akumal: the abundant Loggerhead Caretta caretta and
Green Chelonia mydas turtles, and Hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricate that
visit the reefs. However, the nearby coral reefs are showing signs of impact in
line with the wider Caribbean region, and this ecological deterioration combines
with the abundance of sea turtles to make Akumal a site of great biological
importance and a management priority
Prior to established tourism in the Yucatan, the only real source of income was
from fishing. The reefs were so heavily overfished than the entire ecosystem
almost collapsed. Moreover, sea turtles and their eggs were a major food source
rather than an attraction to be admired, resulting in a serious decline in the turtle
population that led to their classification as endangered species. In an attempt
to save the reef ecosystem and provide alternative income for local people, dive
and snorkel based tourism was actively encouraged by the Mexican government.
Tourism in the area has steadily increased over the last 20 years and as such the
turtle population has flourished and the over fishing of the reefs has massively
reduced. However, if tourism continues to increase then it will bring problems
of its own. More hotels will need to be built to accommodate tourists leading to
loss of important nesting habitat for turtles, loss of mangrove habitat that cleans
water and prevents sediment from washing onto the reef, and major issues with
waste water management. Moreover, the turtles inhabiting the bay that are the
major attraction for tourists may simply leave the area if the volume of people in
the water disrupting their feeding behaviour gets too high.
Centro Ecologico Akumal (CEA) is a Mexican NGO that is responsible for
managing 50km of coastline around Akumal. Long-term data sets relating
to coral reef diversity and turtle nesting already exist, but CEA do not have
sufficient manpower to collect all the data they need to determine the tourism
carrying capacity of the area. The main research objective for the Operation
Wallacea teams at Akumal is therefore to establish an annual monitoring
programme for coastal ecosystem management that includes monitoring of
tourist numbers and their use of the habitat, water quality assessment that
can be related to coral reef health and diversity, monitoring of Diadema as
a symptom of reef deterioration, monitoring of sea grasses and the juvenile
turtles that feed on them, and monitoring of nesting turtles and the availability of
suitable nesting sites.
Facilities
Calakmul
Data collection in the Calakmul forest is conducted in 5 different locations
ranging from the north to the south of the reserve that encompass both the core
and buffer zones of the reserve. In each research location there are four transects
of 2km along which data are collected. The only source of water in the reserve
are small lakes known as aguadas that may be temporary or permanent. As the
abundance and diversity of wildlife can vary considerably in relation to distance
from these limited water sources, two of the four transects in each research
location coincide with aguadas. Four of the Calakmul research locations
(Mancolona, Hormiguero, KM20 and Dos Naciones) are research camps where
accommodation is either in tents or hammocks with mosquito nets, with dry
toilets and jungle showers and designated areas for working and dining. The
fifth research location (Zona Nucelo Sur) is right in the heart of the core zone
where camping is not permitted so survey transects in this area are accessed by
vehicle on a daily basis from the KM20 camp.
Akumal
The Opwall teams will be based in dormitories within the CEA compound on
the beach at Akumal Bay. There are flush toilets, shower facilities, a large dining
area, lecture room, dive training centre and water quality laboratory on site.
There is also an ATM machine, supermarket and a small number of souvenir
shops within the research compound.
55
MEXICO RESEARCH ASSISTANT OPTIONS
The training course and survey options described below have been packaged
as a series of 4 or 6 week expeditions. Please read the packaged expedition
descriptions and then move to the constituent part descriptions for further
details of what you will be doing.
Expedition options
Mayan Forest Biodiversity Surveys and Diving
Mexico Expedition 1 Length: 4 weeks Start date: 15 June
Mexico Expedition 2 Length: 4 weeks Start date: 20 July
The first week will be spent completing the jungle training and Mayan
ecology course (YC101) and one week helping on one of the biodiversity
surveys (YC102). This is followed by dive training (YA103) and Caribbean
reef ecology (YA104) at the Akumal research centre. Those already dive
trained or wishing to focus on snorkel-based projects will undertake the
reef ecology course (YA105) in their 3rd week before moving on to the reef
monitoring project (YA106) for their last week.
Diving, Turtle and Reef Monitoring
Mexico Expedition 3 Length: 4 weeks Start date: 15 June
This project is designed to provide help with the reef and turtle monitoring
programmes run by the Akumal Marine Research Centre. The first week is
spent dive training (YA103) followed by the Caribbean reef ecology course
(YA104) and two weeks helping on the reef and turtle monitoring (YA106).
Alternatively if you are already dive trained or only wish to snorkel then the
options would be Caribbean reef ecology (YA104 or YA105) followed by
three weeks working on the reef and turtle monitoring teams (YA106).
MEXICO
56
Jaguar and Biodiversity Monitoring in the Mayan Forests
with Diving and Reef Monitoring
Mexico expedition 4 Length: 6 weeks Start date: 29 June
This expedition comprises one week on jungle training and Mayan ecology
course (YC101) followed by two weeks working on the biodiversity surveys
(YA102) in one of the most remote camps in the Mayan forests where there
is a good chance of encountering jaguar, puma, tapirs and monkeys. This
is then followed by three weeks at the Akumal Research Centre learning
to dive (YA103) on the reefs of Akumal, completing the Caribbean reef
ecology course (YA104) and a week helping with the reef and turtle
monitoring (YA106). If already dive trained or for those wishing to just work
on snorkel projects then the options are Caribbean reef ecology (YA104
or YA105) and two weeks helping with the reef and turtle monitoring
projects (YA106).
Constituent parts
YC101 Introduction to the Ancient Maya and Mayan Jungle Ecology Course
The agro-forestry methods of the Ancient Maya and their close relationship with
wildlife played a major role in shaping the forest within the Calakmul Biosphere
Reserve. This week-long course will provide background information about
the Ancient Maya in the form of a guided tour of the museum at the research
camp followed by a trip to the breath-taking Calakmul ruins. The information
gained during these activities will then be complemented by a series of lectures
and field-based practical sessions relating to the key flora and fauna of the
Mayan forest. Lectures will cover topics such as the Mayan influence on tree
diversity and its resultant effect on frugivore abundance, mammal ecology
and sustainable hunting practices, bird and herpetofauna diversity, ecological
census techniques, and carbon trading as a means to conserve tropical forest.
The practical sessions that accompany these lectures will teach you the skills
necessary for biodiversity surveys including animal identification, animal capture
using mist netting and pitfall traps, transect surveys, forest structure and habitat
assessments.
YC102 Mayan Jungle Biodiversity Surveys
The primary objective of the project is to assess the biodiversity and habitat
quality of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve to determine if the existing
management plan and community development projects are effective in
protecting the forest and its wildlife. Surveys will be conducted at different
research locations throughout the reserve, which gives the opportunity to see
how the forest and wildlife change from the dryer northern sections of the
reserve to the more humid forest in the south. Habitat quality and forest structure
surveys will be produced by taking a range of tree measurements in 20m x 20m
survey plots adjacent to the transects in each research location. Biodiversity
assessment will focus on six key groups: butterflies, reptiles, amphibians,
birds, bats, and large mammals. Butterflies will be monitored using baited
traps. Reptiles and amphibians will be monitored using pitfall traps and diurnal
active searches and nocturnal spotlight surveys along forest transects. Birds
will be assessed using point counts and mist netting and bats will be monitored
using mist nets. Large mammal surveys are crucial for investigating the impact
of legalized hunting of peccary and deer on jaguar and puma abundance and
ranging. They also allow us to make population estimates of flag ship species
such as tapir and spider monkeys. These surveys will involve recording mammal
sightings and mammal tracks encountered along forest transects and data
obtained from camera trapping throughout the forest. If you want to specialise
in bats and learn how to handle them you will need a full course of rabies
vaccinations before joining the expedition.
is rather unusual, due to the presence of underground rivers and sink holes
(called cenotes) throughout the peninsula with outlets along the coast and
further out to sea. The complex hydrology of this area means that pollution
events inland can have an immediate and disastrous effect on coral reefs
because polluted water can travel untreated through the underground rivers
directly onto the reefs as not all water will pass through the natural filtration
system of mangrove lagoons. The Mexican costal and reef ecology course aims
to provide students with an understanding of the unusual coastal environment
in the Yucatan Pensinsula with specific reference to the role of cenotes and
underground rivers, seagrasses and mangrove lagoons in shaping the coastal
biome. The course will also introduce key topics of coral reef biology and
ecology and identification of key species and taxonomic groups found within
the reef system.
YA103 PADI Open Water Dive Training
This one-week course is a prerequisite to any diving project. Open Water dive
training is included for Operation Wallacea volunteers except for the costs of the
PADI registration card and the Open Water Crew Pack, both of which you need
to bring with you. Completion of this course will give you an internationally
recognised diving qualification and enable you to join general diving projects
accompanied by a Divemaster.
YA106 Marine Ecosystem Monitoring
The coral reefs in Akumal are undergoing phase shifts from healthy coral
dominated to macro-algal dominated benthic communities, reducing the
productivity and long-term resilience of the system. In addition, the beaches
and sea grasses are a safe haven for nesting sea turtles. Tourism in the area
provides important income for local people and has virtually eradicated
problems with over fishing and consumption of turtle eggs. However, Akumal
is becoming increasingly popular with tourists and if not managed correctly,
the increased volume of people could lead to serious problems with water
contamination, loss of mangrove habitat and turtle nesting grounds. Opwall and
our partners CEA are gathering the data necessary to determine the carrying
capacity of tourists in Akumal to ensure that the delicate marine ecosystem is
protected and sustainable income is generated for local people. Data collection
aims to determine the impact of tourism and water quality on the reef system,
to assess the relative importance of Akumal beaches and sea grasses for sea
turtle populations and to investigate the impact of snorkel based tourism on sea
turtle behaviour.
YA104 Caribbean Reef Ecology Course Ecology with practicals by diving
YA105 Caribbean Reef Ecology Course Ecology with practicals
by snorkelling
The coral reef system on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico
represents the northern tip of the Meso-American Barrier Reef, which is the
second largest barrier reef system in the world. The Yucatan coastal environment
In addition, the impact of the invasive lion fish on the coral reef system will be
assessed, as will the contribution of sea urchin mass mortality to the observed
phase shift. Alongside projects assisting with lion fish dietary analyses and
morphometrics, snorkel surveys for green turtle identification and turtle use of
sea grasses, nocturnal turtle nesting surveys and daytime beach and lagoon
tourist surveys. Students will also contribute to daily data entry and assist with
the creation of field reports on tourism.
57
MEXICO DISSERTATIONS
YA291 Sea turtle behaviour and nesting site preferences
Start date: 22 June or 06 July 2015
There are seven species of sea turtle in the world, all of which are either
threatened or endangered. The beaches of Akumal (meaning “home of the
turtles”) are nesting ground for two of these species: the loggerhead turtle
Caretta caretta and the green turtle Chelonia mydas. Year-round you can find
juvenile green turtles feeding on the sea grasses in Akumal Bay and hawksbill
turtles Eretmochelys imbricate can be found around the reefs. One of the major
aims of the ongoing turtle conservation project is to ensure that the turtles have
access to suitable nesting sites on the beaches. In order to do so, it is necessary
to understand the nesting site preferences of the green and loggerhead turtles
and to ascertain the nest characteristics associated with successful incubation.
Investigation of turtle nesting will record the number and location of green
and loggerhead turtle nests, noting their distance from the shore, habitat
characteristics, their size, temperature inside the nest, number of eggs laid and
number of successful hatchlings. The juvenile green turtles in Akumal Bay have
become a popular tourist attraction but it is not clear if the presence of tourists
is affecting their behaviour. There is also some evidence to suggest that the
turtle are over grazing the sea grasses. Research into green turtle behaviour will
involve snorkelling with the turtles throughout the day to record their activity
budgets and foraging patterns. The number of tourists present will be recorded
at regular intervals to determine the relationship between the number of tourists
present and turtle behaviour. Sea grass samples will also be collected, dried and
analysed for nutrient content.
YC292 Herpetofaunal species distribution and niche partitioning in
Calakmul Biosphere Reserve
Start date: 15 June or 29 June 2015; need to complete YC101
The herpetofauna of the Yucatan Peninsula is diverse and contains a high
percentage of endemic species that have evolved to adapt to the unique forest
habitat. Despite this, the herpetofauna of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is
poorly studied. There is a notable rainfall gradient from the north to the south
of the reserve, which significantly affects tree diversity and forest structure. The
only source of water in the reserve comes from lakes known as aguadas. Some
are permanent, but the majority are temporary that form on low lying ground
during rainy season. This variation in habitat is likely to have a notable affect
the abundance of distribution of herpetofauna within Calakmul. Herpetofauna
surveys will be conducted at 5 different research locations within the reserve that
have notable differences in habitat type. Within each location, herpetofauna will
be surveyed using pitfall traps and diurnal and nocturnal active searching along
MEXICO DISSERTATIONS
58
transects. Students will also assist with habitat surveys in which tree diversity,
DBH, canopy height and sapling density are recorded in a selection of 20m
x 20m forest plots at each survey location. Research projects could therefore
investigate differences in herpetofaunal species assemblages between different
sites and in relation to distance from aguadas. These projects could incorporate
a wide range of species or could focus on specific groups (e.g. anurans,
lizards, snakes). Alternatively, projects could focus on herpetofauna community
structure in aguadas of varying sizes. These projects would involve timed
searches of the aguadas for amphibian species combined with trapping surveys
for lizards, snakes, turtles and crocodiles.
YC293 Large mammal abundance and distribution patterns in relation to
habitat characteristics and hunting in Mayan forest
Start date: 15 June or 29 June 2015; need to complete YC101
Large mammal density at Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is very high and the
forest is one of the last remaining strongholds of endangered mammals such
as spider monkeys, jaguar and tapir. Although these species are not hunted,
indigenous people are allowed to hunt other large mammals such as peccary
and deer (which are the preferred prey of jaguar and puma). The tropical semideciduous forest in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is unusual in that areas close
to Mayan Ruins contain unusually high densities of large fruiting trees (the
result of Ancient Mayan agro-forestry) in comparison to other areas. As there are
no rivers or streams in the reserve, forest structure is also heavily affected by
distance from the few permanent water sources in the reserve known as aguadas.
The aim of the large mammal research project is to investigate the relationship
between habitat characteristics and large mammal abundance and ranging to
investigate the impact of hunting of preferred prey species on the abundance
and distribution of felids. Mammal abundance data will be collected along a
series of forest transects using distance sampling (based on visual sightings of
more commonly encountered species such as primates) and patch occupancy
sampling (based on tracks and signs of more elusive species such as tapir
and jaguar). Additional data will be collected using camera traps enabling
comparison of density estimates produced by the different types of surveys. The
survey transects are distributed across a wide range of forest habitat types and
each transect contains a number of 20m x 20m habitat survey plots. In each
of these plots, tree species will be identified, and DBH and tree height will be
measured. Large mammal data from each transect can then be related to mean
habitat characteristics for the transect and comparisons between mammal
abundance and habitat variables may be investigated.
YC294 Spider monkey grouping patterns and
sex differences in behaviour
Start date: 15 June or 29 June 2015; need to complete YC101
Spider monkeys are frugivorous primates that live in complex societies
characterised by high degree fission-fusion dynamics whereby members
of the same community are rarely all together and spend their time in fluid
subgroups that constantly change in size and composition. Subgroup
composition (specifically same-sex versus mixed-sex subgroups) can have
a notable affect on activity budgets as mixed-sex subgroups generally spend
more time socializing and less time feeding than same-sex subgroups. Unlike
other primates, spider monkeys rarely engage in social grooming and have a
unique suite of friendly behaviour consisting of embraces, kisses and pectoral
sniffs. Rates of friendly behaviour and aggression vary considerably between
male-male, male-female and female-female dyads and can provide insight into
the strength of social bonds. There are also considerable sex differences in the
context in which aggression and friendly behaviour arise (e.g. fusion events,
or aggression in the context of feeding). As spider monkeys live in the upper
canopy of the forest, they are generally difficult to study and documentation of
their social interactions is limited to a small number of field sites. The low and
partially open canopy of the Calakmul forest means that spider monkeys can
be viewed very easily, thus providing an excellent research location. Activity
data will be collected using instantaneous scan sampling and all occurrences
of aggression and friendly behaviour will be recorded, noting the sex of the
individuals involved and the context in which the behaviour occurred. Subgroup
composition will be recorded throughout the day.
YC295 Bat abundance, diversity and distribution patterns in relation to
habitat characteristics of Mayan forest
Start date: 15 June or 29 June 2015; need to complete YC101
Bat abundance in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve is very high due to the
presence of multiple caves that act as roost sites. There are over 90 bat species
that occur in tropical Mexico, but the presence of the majority of these species
in Calakmul remains unclear due to lack of standardized studies. Moreover, bat
diversity is unlikely to be uniform throughout the reserve due to changes in the
habitat resulting from vicinity to ruins sites (Mayan ruins contain unusually high
densities of large fruiting trees as a result of Ancient Mayan agro-forestry) and
the limited water supply in the reserve. Students will investigate bat abundance
and diversity using mist net surveys in conjunction with bat detectors that record
bat vocalizations. These combined methods will provide data on the carnivorous,
frugivorous and nectivorous bats that are frequently caught in the nets and the
insectivorous bats that have such fine-tuned echolocation that they can detect
mist nets and are therefore virtually impossible to capture. These data will be
collected across a range of transects in the reserve than encompass different
habitat characteristics. Each transect contains a number of 20m x 20m habitat
survey plots that provide detailed information of the forest characteristics in
the area. In each of these plots, tree species will be identified, and DBH and
tree height will be measured. Bat data from each transect can then be related
to mean habitat characteristics for the transect and comparisons between bat
diversity and habitat variables may be investigated.
MARINE DISSERTATIONS
YA296 Abundance of Damselfish and their impact on coral reef health
through the promotion of algal growth
Start date: 22 June or 06 July 2015; need to complete YA103 if not already
dive trained and YA104
Damselfish are a small territorial family of fish, and one of the most common
residents of Caribbean coral reefs. As herbivores they rely on algal food sources,
and they exhibit the fascinating behaviour of actively farming algae within the
confines of the territories. This behaviour can include weeding of undesirable
algal species to promote more palatable alternatives, and the exclusion of
competing herbivores. As a result, damselfish play an important role in sculpting
the benthic community found on reefs, with the dominant benthic communities
often differing significantly between territory and non-territory areas. With
the increasing dominance of macroalgae on the world’s coral reefs causing
widespread concern amongst conservation scientists due to the threat of phase
shifts to long term reef survival, this behaviour takes on added significance.
This project will begin by describing the damselfish community structure
on reefs around Akumal Bay, in terms of diversity, abundance and biomass.
Subsequently, the benthic community present in territory areas will be compared
to non-territory areas, as will evidence of coral mortality, and the varying
impacts of different damselfish species will be compared.
YA297 Monitoring coral health using photographic techniques
Start date: 22 June or 06 July 2015; need to complete YA103 if collecting
data by diving and not already dive trained, and YA104
Traditional visual approaches to coral research yields basic data suitable for
answering broad questions on ecosystem health and habitat variability. However,
the emergence of technological alternatives to simple in situ observations
give many more options and greatly increase the breadth of questions that can
be addressed. At the most basic level, photos can be analysed after a dive to
confirm species identifications and confirm signs of coral impacts such as
disease. If scale bars are added to the frame as reference points, analysis can
be expanded to include accurate length and surface area calculations. This
project will use traditional underwater transect techniques to characterise the
abundance of live coral on reefs around Akumal Bay, Mexico, at varying depths.
Size referenced photographs will then be taken of each coral colony along each
transect. Once back on land, these photographs will be analysed for features
such as total colony size (surface area), polyp density, disease instance,
evidence of bio-erosion or bleaching, and the proportion of the colony impacted
quantified. These data will allow size structures for individual coral species to
be constructed, and those species most susceptible to anthropogenic impacts
identified. Results can be compared to general abiotic and biotic factors at each
site to explore how environment sculpts the coral community. Information will
ultimately be used to help inform local management plans.
59
GUYANA RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND FACILITIES
Research Objectives
The Guiana Shield in South America is a massive granite dome that formed 2
billion years ago and forms what is now Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana and
parts of Venezuela, Colombia and Brazil. Throughout most of this area there
is a low human population density and as a result 2.5 million km2 of tropical
rainforests still remain largely untouched along with extensive savannas and
wetlands.
The Operation Wallacea expeditions are working in Guyana – an English
speaking country with some of the most pristine remaining forests, savannahs
and wetlands and where sightings of jaguar, tapirs, giant otters, harpy eagles and
many other charismatic South American species are common. The expeditions
to the interior of Guyana, which involve trekking through undisturbed forests
and lengthy river travel in small boats with temporary field camps on the river
banks, are not for the faint hearted – this is true South American forest and a real
expedition experience.
Operation Wallacea has formed a partnership with the Iwokrama International
Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development (IIC), and the Amerindian
community of Surama. The IIC manages one million acres (371,000ha)
of undisturbed forests in the centre of the country. The IIC represents
an international partnership between Guyana and the Commonwealth to
demonstrate how tropical forests can be sustainably used in the interest of
global scale climate change, local communities, and biodiversity conservation.
Surama Village, in the North Rupununi, is a Makushi Amerindian community
which has a vision to develop, own and manage a community-based ecotourism business by using the natural resources and their traditional culture in a
socially appropriate manner. Surama village is on the Rupununi savannah which
lies to the south of the Iwokrama forests and provides a contrasting habitat.
Protection of rainforests is a matter of ensuring that surrounding communities
can have a financial benefit from conservation of those forests and this is the
basis of many of the REDD+ type data collection monitoring projects being
GUYANA
60
run by Opwall (e.g. Indonesia, Honduras, Mexico) where funds are raised
through preservation of the carbon content of the forests. However, an alternative
approach is to sustainably exploit the timber in the forest using a Reduced
Impact Logging protocol developed by Iwokrama so that communities can have
financial benefits but the biodiversity of the forest can be maintained. Just under
half of the Iwokrama Reserve has been designated for Sustainable Use. Within
this area a 60 year rotation has been agreed where approximately 1% of the trees
in the blocks to be logged are removed with detailed planning so that the cut
and skid trails to remove the timber, minimise the impact. This level of cutting
for the most part allows the canopy structure and overall age structure of the
trees to be maintained even in the harvested blocks, but since the trees removed
are the high value commercial species, it generates substantial income for the
local communities. This is a very impressive harvesting system and if it can be
demonstrated to have short term and minimal impacts on biodiversity whilst at
the same time generating much of the income that would have been achieved
from much less sensitive ways of harvesting, then this approach may have much
wider applications worldwide. The Opwall teams are helping to provide detailed
and verifiable data sets on target biodiversity taxa in the Iwokrama forests both to
examine the impacts of selective logging but also to quantify long term changes
in the biodiversity of the forests.
A monitoring programme providing equal coverage of the SUA and WP parts
of the Iwokrama Forest as well as the forests surrounding Surama Village has
been initiated, and is being completed annually by the Opwall survey teams. The
purpose of this monitoring is to provide long-term data sets on the abundance
and diversity of key biodiversity taxa so that the impacts of sustainable use
within Iwokrama and the forest surrounding Surama can be identified in
comparison with the non-utilised wilderness areas.
Facilities
The first 3 days of the expedition will be at the Iwokrama River Lodge on the
bank of the Essequibo river. Accommodation is in dormitories with communal
bathrooms. There is a well equipped research centre with a lecture room and
restaurant overlooking the river. The rest of this expedition will be in remote field
camps where accommodation will be in hammocks with bashas and integral
mosquito nets. There are temporary field toilets and washing will be done in the
rivers. During part of the surveys the group will be helping with a river based
survey and living in hammocks in temporary overnight camps.
Guyana
Georgetown
Demer
ara river
Essequibo river
New Amsterdam
Iwokrama Research Centre
Iwokrama
Burro Burro River
Apoteri
Bina Hill
Rewa
r
ibo rive
Essequ
Karanambo
river
Rewa
Lethem
Rupununi river
Surama
North Rupununi Wetlands
Kanuku Mountains
Rupununi Wetlands
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GUYANA RESEARCH ASSISTANT OPTIONS
This is the most remote and toughest of all the expeditions but probably the one
with the best sightings of forest based animals. There are limited spaces on the
Guyana expeditions so these have been packaged into two 4 week expeditions
described below. Please read the expedition options below and then move to the
descriptions of the constituent parts below:
Expedition options:
Jungle training with Forest and River based biodiversity surveys
Guyana Expedition 1 Length: 4 weeks Start date: 16 June
Guyana Expedition 2 Length: 4 weeks Start date: 14 July
This expedition has a fixed 4-week itinerary that contains an introductory
3 day course on Jungle Training and Guiana Shield Forest Ecology
(GI101). After these first 3 days the teams will move to one of the forest
camps where they will be based for the next 6 days. During the course of
the expedition, the teams will complete 6 days of biodiversity surveys at
camps in each of following regions of the forest: wilderness or sustainable
use area that is not being exploited, reduced impact logging area and
forest areas on the savannah habitat (GI102). During the four weeks the
group will have the opportunity to complete a river based mobile survey
through the heart of the forests and living in temporary camps for 3 days
(GI103). Working on this expedition will give volunteers the opportunity to
contribute to an annual biodiversity monitoring programme of key forest
taxa, as well as see a wide range of Guiana Shield wildlife.
GUYANA
62
Constituent parts
GI101 Jungle Training and Guiana Shield Forest Ecology course
This 3 day Jungle Training and Guiana Shield Forest Ecology course is run at
the Iwokrama Rainforest Lodge on the banks of the Essequibo River. The course
is designed to prepare the group for living and working in the forest and to be
of practical use in the surveys. Skills in learning how to live safely and healthily
in the tropical forest in hammock based camps will be gained. The other part of
the course will be a series of lectures on the wildlife and ecology of the fauna
and flora likely to be encountered as well as learning how to identify some of the
commoner species.
GI102 Iwokrama Forest Biodiversity Survey
These surveys are being completed at a series of camps across the Iwokrama
and Surama forests and include:
■Bird surveys: Helping an experienced ornithologist with collecting data
from mist net captures from dawn to midday. These surveys use standardised
mist net hours help quantify the changes in understory bird communities.
All birds captured are measured, data taken on moult and breeding condition
to determine breeding cycles, photographed and coloured rings attached to
collect data on movements and longevity of the various species before the
birds are released. In addition, soundscape recordings from a series of sites
1km apart will be made from 30 minutes before dawn to 1.5 hours after dawn.
These recordings will then be analysed by the ornithologist to identify the bird
calls and compile species lists and details of relative abundance.
■Herpetofauna surveys: Assisting an experienced herpetologist with
standard search scan samples for reptiles and amphibians. In the evenings
transects will be completed to record the soundscapes and these recordings
will be analysed by the herpetologist for amphibian diversity and relative
abundance from the calls and by the ornithologist for nocturnal birds.
■Dung beetle surveys: Helping with installing and emptying baited pit fall
trap arrays to quantify the dung beetle communities since these are excellent
indicators of forest changes.
■Large mammal surveys: Helping to install camera traps around the camps
which will be left for up to 2 months to collect data on ground based mammal
abundance including the big cats and herbivores such as tapirs, deer and
agouti. In addition the students will be completing transect surveys to collect
data on primate abundance (e.g. Black Spider Monkey, Red Howler Monkey,
Wedge-capped Capuchin, White-faced Saki) which will not be sampled by
the camera traps.
■Bat surveys: Mist nets run for standard periods of time are being used
to quantify the bat communities. Volunteers who have had their rabies
vaccinations will be able to help with processing of the captured bats
(identification of the species, photographing each bat, measurements, wing
punctures for genetic sampling etc) and their release.
■Forest structure and dynamics surveys: Helping a forest ecologist with
quantifying the forest structure (age class structure of trees, amounts of
understorey vegetation, sapling regeneration, canopy cover etc) of permanent
monitoring plots. These data are re-used to quantify changes in the forest.
In some sites though there are no permanent forest plots nearby so these
surveys are working on smaller plots and quantifying the forest structure
around the surveys sites for different taxa.
GI103 Burro Burro river surveys
For 3 days between completion of forest camp surveys the teams will be
helping on a river based survey on the Burro-Burro River through the heart of the
Iwokrama rainforest. The purpose of this trip is to gather standardised data on the
Giant River Otters, Caiman, Anaconda and water birds (e.g. kingfishers, herons,
egrets, ducks, cormorant, terns etc). This is a deep forest experience and the
teams will be helping the boat drivers and guides porter the boats around rapids
and to navigate around fallen trees.
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GUYANA DISSERTATIONS
GI301 The economics of Reduced Impact Logging compared to more
traditional harvesting approaches
Start date: 16 or 30 June; need to complete GI101
In general, conservation organisations regard the granting of logging
concessions in tropical rainforests as a disaster for wildlife in the affected areas.
This view has come about because of the clear felling strategies used by many
logging companies which have disastrous impacts on wildlife. However, most
of the timber value in these logged rainforests is in just a few species, so if
selective logging is undertaken to just target those trees can the wildlife be
maintained? This is the subject of the Opwall biodiversity research programme
in Iwokrama but this topic is designed to look at the other end of the process
and gather economic data on the selective harvesting strategy to determine
whether it is economically viable in comparison to more traditional harvesting
techniques. The Iwokrama Rainforest Research Centre has developed a very
strict protocol for selective logging where only 1% of the trees in the harvested
areas are logged, there is directional felling to reduce the damage caused by the
fallen trees and a limited set of skid trails laid out to collect the timber. Logging
in this manner costs a lot more in the planning stage than traditional techniques
because of the need to plot the exact position of every tree to be felled, but
it is claimed that these additional costs are more than retrieved in having a
much more efficient felling and collection process and in ensuring the sawmill
stage can add value rather than just marketing rough hewn logs. This project is
designed to gather economic data on this highly selective logging approach and
determine whether such a rigid set of logging guidelines could be applied with
little or no economic impact on other logging areas in the Tropics.
GI302 Analysis of sound landscapes to assess bird communities in
tropical rainforests
Start date: 16 or 30 June; need to complete GI101
In 2015 sound recording is being completed from pre dawn to 1.5 hours after
sunrise at a series of sites around Iwokrama. The recordings are then being
analysed by an experienced ornithologist and the birds calling identified. It is
claimed that this technique is a much more efficient method of assessing forest
bird communities and also has the advantage of producing verifiable records
of the species identified. These data sets from around the Park could be used
to answer a series of different questions. For example, if replicate point counts
were completed at each of the recorded sites how would the results compare?
Detailed data on the forest structure surrounding each sound recording site are
being collected and these data could then be used to determine which habitat
factors were significantly affecting the distribution of particular species. Another
option would be to assess the order of the dawn chorus. It has been claimed in
European studies that the order that birds call in the dawn chorus is a function
of eye size with the larger eyed species calling at lower light levels. Can a trend
like this be determined from the Guiana Shield forests?
GI303 Comparison of sound recording and spotlighting for assessing
amphibian communities
Start date: 16 or 30 June; need to complete GI101
Amphibian surveys are being completed by recording sounds along
transects and the frog calls on those recordings identified by an experienced
herpetologist. How does this technique compare with the more traditional
spotlighting and capture surveys – is there an impact on species diversity
detected or on the relative abundance of those species? Data from spotlight and
capture surveys could be compared with the soundscape transects. How do
rainfall patterns affect the detectability of amphibian species? Another aspect of
this project could look at habitat elements that are significantly associated with
the distribution of various species and since sampling will be completed across
a range of habitats and forest types in Iwokrama, MAXENT modelling could be
completed to construct species distribution models for the amphibian species.
GUYANA DISSERTATIONS
64
GI305 Do mist nets operated at different heights or different sites affect
the bat community data collected?
Start date: 16 or 30 June; need to complete GI101
This project is designed to help design the most efficient sampling strategy for
deploying mist nets to obtain data on bat communities in the Iwokrama forests.
For example, using mist nets at different heights in the forest and on the edges
of rivers appears to sample different species of bats. One project could look at
the height at which different bat species are caught in the mist nets which are
being operated up to a height of 5m. In addition, it is apparent that over the
course of a weeks netting at a site that the bat capture rate declines, so would
a more effective strategy be to move the bat nets on a daily or bi-weekly basis?
Another question could be if the nets are best used as a single continuous net
or is having shorter runs of nets in more habitats a more effective strategy.
Other projects could look at whether sound recordings and analysis of the
echolocation frequencies of bats was giving different results for bat species
encountered.
GI304 Changes in large mammal and bird communities in the Iwokrama
forests from 2010 – 2015
Start date: 16 or 30 June; need to complete GI101
In 2014, camera traps were run at a series of sites across the Iwokrama Reserve
to collect data on ground mammal diversity and abundance. In 2015 camera
traps are also being deployed across the reserve and the data from these camera
traps could be analysed using CAPTURE and DENSITY software to calculate
the density of species which can be identified to individual level because of
distinctive markings (e.g. jaguars, ocelots). The relative distribution of some
of other commonly encountered species likely to be captured on these camera
traps (e.g. red-rumped agouti, aacas, red and grey brocket deer, tapirs, tayras
etc) could also be described and notes made on the capture of less commonly
encountered species (bush dog, capybara, giant anteater, giant armadillo).
Transects in 2015 are also being completed for counts of primate species
encountered and the habitat types being used by different species. In addition
since 2010, Iwokrama has been completing monthly river surveys (500m drift
surveys) at 2 sites on the Supuruni River, 2 sites on the Burro Burro River and
5 sites on the Essequibo River. These surveys have been recording key water
associated bird species (herons, kingfishers, cormorants, swallows etc). In
addition surveys of large mammals (giant river otters and other species spotted
on the banks) have been completed on these three rivers between the sample
points. Over this same time period there have also been 500m transect surveys
completed monthly on sites along the road that runs though the reserve and
records of large mammal sightings (large cats, tapirs, deer etc) made whilst
driving between these sites have been made as well as from visits to nearby
borrow pits which are used by mammals as water sources. There are a whole
series of different questions that could be answered by utilising different aspects
of the long term monitoring data and the camera trap and primate transect data
gathered by the Opwall teams.
65
CUBA RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND FACILITIES
Research objectives
The southern part of the Isle of Youth (Isla de la Juventud), the largest island off
the coast of Cuba, is an area of significant biodiversity importance and is now
being proposed as a Sustainable Use and Protected Area (APRM) whilst the
western end has been designated as the Punta Frances National Park. The Punta
Frances National Park contains mangroves, lagoons, semi-deciduous forests and
coral reefs, and forms an excellent example of relatively undisturbed and linked
Caribbean habitats. Operation Wallacea and the Centre for Marine Research
at the University of Havana (CIM-UH) have agreed a long-term research
collaboration to develop and implement a biodiversity monitoring programme
that will provide the data needed to inform conservation management practices
across the whole of the southern island APRM.
The survey work is based on research ships and from land based teams in the
Punta Frances Reserve. The research objective is to complete fish and benthic
surveys using video surveys of all the reefs of the southern Isla de la Juventud
APRM and assess the manatee populations by direct observation and side scan
sonar in the mangrove channels.
CUBA
66
Facilities
Colony Hotel and Marina
All volunteers will be staying in the Colony Hotel for the first week. The hotel
has air conditioned rooms, a swimming pool, showers and all the luxuries you
would not expect on an Operation Wallacea research expedition! Breakfast and
dinner are taken at the hotel with packed lunches provided for the field team. In
subsequent weeks the students spend part of their time on the Felipe Poey.
Felipe Poey Research Ship
In the second week and beyond, students will spend part of their time on the
University of Havana’s research ship, the Felipe Poey (named after a famous
ichthyologist). Having berths both above and below decks, though most people
choose to sleep under the stars on the top deck (under a mosquito net). The
Felipe Poey was converted from a fishing boat and has excellent facilities aboard
including a flush toilet and a basic fresh water shower (to be used sparingly to
conserve fresh water). There is a fresh water tank which can hold up to 8 tonnes
of fresh water at one time. There are also solar panels on board the boat to
charge the batteries for radio communication. There is a projector and screen
and sitting area on the bottom deck for lectures. The captain’s wheel house has
state of the art real time navigation systems, GPS systems, echosounder and
satellite images all linked to a main computer. There is also a VHF radio for
communications with the coastguard.
CUBA RESEARCH ASSISTANT OPTIONS
The training course and survey options described below have been packaged
as a series of 2 or 4 week expeditions. Please read the packaged expedition
descriptions and then move to the constituent part descriptions for further
details of what you will be doing.
Expedition options
Dive training and marine biology research
Cuba Expedition 1 Length: 2 weeks Start date: 26 June
Cuba Expedition 2 Length: 2 weeks Start date: 24 July
This 2 week expedition which runs in the remote southern part of the Isle
of Youth in Cuba, starts with a PADI Open dive training course (CP101).
During this week you will also be completing a reef survey techniques and
reef species course so by the end of the week you should be sufficiently
trained to join the research projects. The second week will be spent
working on the stereo video surveys of reef fish, macro-invertebrate belt
transects and line intercept video surveys for the coral communities as well
as helping with the manatee surveys (CP102).
Dive training and marine biology research in southern Cuba
Cuba Expedition 3 Length: 4 weeks Start date: 24 July
This 4 week expedition gives you the opportunity to explore reefs in a
seldom visited part of southern Cuba. The expedition is based in the
Colony Hotel on the Isle of Youth and uses a series of boats to explore
the southern part of the Isle of Youth which has been designated as a
sustainable use area. The expedition starts with a PADI Open dive training
course (CP101). During this week though you will also be completing
a reef species and survey techniques course so by the end of the week
you should be sufficiently trained to join the research projects. The next
three weeks will be spent working on the stereo video surveys of reef fish,
macro-invertebrate belt transects and line intercept video surveys for the
coral communities as well as helping with the manatee surveys (CP102).
The advantage of this longer expedition is that the last 3 weeks of the
Cuban research programme is devoted to studying the more distant and
isolated reef areas off the coast of the Isle of Youth.
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Constituent parts
CP101 PADI Open Water dive training and reef species and surveys
technique course
This one-week course is a prerequisite to any diving project. Open Water dive
training is free to Operation Wallacea volunteers except for the costs of the
PADI registration card and the Open Water Crew Pack, which you need to buy
and bring with you. Completion of this course will give you an internationally
recognised diving qualification and enable you to join general diving projects
accompanied by a Divemaster. During this week you will also be completing a
reef species and survey techniques course designed to get you ready to join the
research projects. The lectures in this course also give a detailed background to
coral reef science and the threats they currently face, but a large proportion of
the course concentrates on learning to identify the reef fish, macro-invertebrates
and corals species commonly encountered on the surveys. Each part of the
course (fish, corals and macro-invertebrates) finishes with a test with a pass
mark required for progression into the research programme.
CP102 Reef fish, benthic communities, sharks and manatees in the
Southern Isla de la Juventud APRM
Students joining this option will rotate between projects, although there may be
some scope for specialisation depending on numbers and logistics, assuming
they have passed the relevant part of the reef survey techniques and species
course.
■Reef Fish surveys: This project involves diving to complete the stereo
video surveys of the reef fish communities, which provides accurate biomass
data impossible with traditional visual census techniques. Once video data
have been collected the students are involved in the identification and
measurement of the species from analysis of the video. Only those students
who have passed their Caribbean reef fish species identification test will be
able to participate in this activity.
CUBA
68
■Coral surveys: This project involves diving to help complete video line
intercept surveys on the reefs. Back in the lab these videos are analysed by
the students to identify the hard and soft coral species intercepting the line
and total coral and macroalgal cover. Note only those students who have
passed their Caribbean coral and algal species identification test will be able
to participate in this activity.
■Macro-invertebrate surveys: This project involves diving to complete 5m
wide belt transects to identify the distribution and abundance of key macroinvertebrate species (e.g. urchins, sea cucumbers, lobsters etc).
■Shark tagging: In the evening long lines are set from the research ship and
in the early morning these long lines are checked for sharks. All captured
sharks are measured and tagged before being released.
■Lionfish surveys: This involves processing of captured invasive Lionfish
specimens to examine size class structure, stomach contents, and other
morphological characteristics.
■Manatee surveys and capture: The manatee surveys are conducted in
the mangrove channels and lagoons using side scan sonar surveys and
observational transects. The position of all sighted manatees are logged and
environmental data (salinity, temperature, aquatic vegetation) collected at
each site to determine the importance of freshwater upwellings and vegetation
communities in affecting the distribution of manatees. In addition the
movement of manatees is being studied using marked animals and students
helping with manatee captures using nets. Any manatees captured will be
measured, the sex determined, DNA and blood samples taken and the animal
marked before release.
CUBA DISSERTATIONS
CU311 Manatee ecology in Cuba
Start date: 26 June
Manatees are large marine mammals found predominately in shallow coastal
tropical environments between the Caribbean to West Africa. This has brought
them into regular close contact with humans, and as a result they have been
particularly impacted by damage from boat traffic and through loss of natural
habitat due to coastal development. This project forms part of a long-term
investigation into manatees on the Isle of Youth, Cuba, led by scientists from
the University of Havana. Data collection focuses on a network of lagoons and
channels in an extensive mangrove forest, and is entirely boat based. Lagoons
will be surveyed for manatees using a combination of visual transect and side
scan sonar techniques, with abiotic variables measured at regular intervals to
characterise the environmental parameters present at each site. Once located,
individual manatees will be herded towards a net, and captures attempted.
Successful captures will allow morphological and physiological measurements
to be taken. In addition faecal samples will be collected to allow analysis on diet
and parasite loading of the local manatee population. Temporal data are also
available to study long-term trends in manatee numbers in the area.
CU313 The ecological importance and current status of Acropora
cervicornis corals in the Punta Frances National Park
Start date: 26 June; need to complete CP101
Reef-building corals are the ecosystem architects of the most diverse
ecosystems in the ocean – tropical coral reefs. They lay down a calcium
carbonate skeleton that, generation by generation, leads to the large complex
3D structures we see on reefs today. In turn, this structural complexity supports
productive and diverse communities of fish and invertebrates. Those coral
species that provide the most complex structures are therefore the most
valuable, but they also tend to be the most susceptible to impacts. In the
Caribbean, Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata are the most complex
coral species, forming branching growth forms, but this makes them easily
damaged and destroyed and, as a result of recent intense hurricane activity, they
are almost completely absent on many reefs around the Caribbean. In the Punta
Frances National Park, A. cervicornis in particular is present in unusually high
abundance. This project will work on these reefs to better our understanding
of the abiotic and biotic factors facilitating the survival of these vital coral
species, their current health in Punta Frances through assessments of mortality
incidences, and also their ecological importance by surveying the fish and
invertebrates associated with them compared to other, less structurally complex
coral species. Data will be collected by SCUBA using a range of techniques.
CU314 Characterising the coastal fish communities of Cuba
Start date: 26 June
Caribbean fish communities rely not only on their immediate environments, but
are also determined by the entire tropical coastal system. Clear connectivity
between coral reef, seagrass and mangrove ecosystems in particular are known
to exist, with many fish species utilising multiple habitats for various aspects of
their life histories. As the coastal environment changes, for example as a result
of increased human development or habitat degradation from extensive and
healthy mangrove forests, the diversity of fish found is also likely to change. This
project will use seine netting along a section of coastline on the Isle of Youth, to
explore variations in community structure. Measurements of caught individuals
can also be used to compile size structures and determine which life phase is
being found. These data can then be compared to the local coastal environment,
in order to explore the extent to which Cuban coastal structure and health impact
on the fish community found. Complementary reef fish monitoring data will also
be available for comparison.
CU312 Managing the Caribbean lionfish invasion
Start date: 26 June; need to complete CP101
Lionfish are an invasive species in the Caribbean, and are having a devastating
impact on local fish communities throughout the region. Introduced, believed
to be by accident, in the early 1990s, lionfish have spread extremely quickly
and are expected to soon be found as far as New York and South America. Their
success is down to a number of factors, including their high reproductive rate,
generalism in terms of both diet and habitat, and a lack of natural predators.
They are now considered to be one of the greatest threats to the future of
Caribbean coral reefs and their fish communities. Management approaches to
dealing with the lionfish invasion are limited, with one of the most common
being direct removal via spear fishing. This relies on regular visitation to
individual reef sites, as studies have shown full recovery of lionfish only five
months after complete removal. This dissertation will compare sites of intense
lionfish removal to those with low levels of hunting. Data will be collected on
abundance and size structure through SCUBA surveys. Lionfish will also be
removed and dissected to provide morphological, physiological and gut content
data to explore variations between contrasting populations. Additional studies
could explore changes in wariness to divers between populations which are
heavily hunted and those less exploited by humans.
CUBA DISSERTATIONS
69
TRANSYLVANIA RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND FACILITIES
Research Objectives
The Tarnava Mare Natura 2000 Region in Transylvania, Romania is one of the
last medieval landscapes in Europe. Sitting at the foothills of the Carpathians
this stunning 85,000ha area not only boasts picturesque remote Saxon Villages
surrounded by some of, if not the most, extensive flower-rich grasslands
remaining in lowland Europe, but it also houses a spectacular array of fauna
including one of the largest populations of European Brown Bears found
anywhere in the world.
The landscape still presents a medieval land-use pattern: forested ridges and
gullies, pasture and hay meadows on gentler slopes and terraces, and arable
land and smaller meadows on the flat valley bottoms near villages.
Inclusion of the area in the EU Natura 2000 network enables funding to be
obtained to maintain the low input traditional farming that has created such
a high biodiversity. The Opwall teams are completing an annual biodiversity
survey of the region in order to assess the effectiveness of maintaining the
traditional farming practices in protecting this outstanding area. The work is
being completed with ADEPT, a Romanian based NGO, with the Opwall teams
providing annual data on a series of biodiversity performance and farming
criteria.
TRANSYLVANIA
70
Facilities
This Opwall expedition gives students the chance to join a small team which will
move from remote village to village across the region. Each village is nestled in
one of many valleys running North to South, and so, after completing surveys for
a week in each village, the team will trek up the side of the adjacent valley and
down into the next one. Luggage can be transported by horse and cart or on a
4x4 vehicle, which is a relief given the strength of the Transylvanian sun during
this time of year!
When in the villages, teams will usually be staying in basic campsites where
they can pitch their tents under the fruit trees, and where the water in the
showers is heated by the sun each day. Meals are locally prepared and the
majority of the food on the expedition is baked, grown, or farmed in the same
village in which it is consumed. In some villages volunteers will be able to stay
in local guesthouses, which gives a fantastic insight into the Saxon culture
and traditions.
It should be noted that on this expedition almost all surveys are conducted on
foot. Volunteers can be out in the sun surveying the remote forests, meadows
and grasslands for long periods of time each day, in addition to collecting more
data during the evenings where possible, so it is helpful to have a reasonable
level of fitness.
TRANSYLVANIA RESEARCH ASSISTANT OPTIONS
The survey options described below have been packaged into a 2 and a 4 week
expedition, to target the weeks and camps where additional survey manpower is
required. Please read the packaged expedition descriptions and then move to the
constituent part descriptions.
Expedition options
Bears, species rich grasslands and treks in the Carpathian foothills
Transylvania Expedition 1 Length: 2 weeks Start date: 17 June
This 2 week expedition gives the opportunity to get a taste of the rich
wildlife in this little visited part of the Carpathians. The two weeks will be
spent in different villages in the Tarnava Mare region with the first week
spent on the Transylvanian Ecology course (RT101) and the second week
completing biodiversity surveys in the valleys around another of the remote
villages (RT102).
Transylvanian biodiversity surveys in the Carpathians
Transylvania Expedition 2 Length: 4 weeks Start date: 15 July
This 4 week expedition gives the opportunity to really get to know
the wildlife of the Carpathians. It starts with a week completing the
Transylvanian Ecology course (RT101) and the following three weeks will
be spent helping with the biodiversity surveys in three different valleys
(RT102). This project involves a lot of trekking and the Tarnava Mare region
has one of the most scenic landscapes in Europe.
Constituent parts
RT101 Transylvanian Ecology course
The Transylvanian Ecology course which is run alongside the biodiversity
survey teams in one of the study villages is designed to give volunteers an
understanding of the cultural and ecological history of the region, of the overall
research and survey objectives, and of the specific surveys and taxonomic
groups that the teams will be focussing on. Lectures and discussion groups
will be interspersed with practical survey sessions and students will have the
opportunity to get involved in the surveys that they are going to be completing
during the following weeks.
RT102 Transylvania Biodiversity Survey
This survey team completes surveys in a different village each week. Volunteers
are split into groups and form a key part of the teams collecting data from
the extensive woodlands, meadows and grasslands around a series of Saxon
settlements across the Tarnava Mare.
■Large mammals: This team will position camera traps in key locations in
the forests and on the valley survey routes in order to capture sightings of
large mammals such as bears, wolves, wild boar and deer. The team will also
visit likely vantage points at dawn or dusk to see large mammals, and will
record any prints or scat encountered.
■Small mammals and herpetofauna: This team will set small mammal
traps late at night which will be checked and emptied each morning. They will
also complete standard searches around the edge of river and wetland areas
for amphibians, and will walk the longer survey routes around the valleys
either side of the village, recording mammal and herpetofauna sightings
and signs.
■Birds: The bird team will be leaving at dawn and walking the long survey
routes that traverse the valleys either side of the village. They will complete
point count surveys at 500m intervals en route, looking for sightings and
listening for calls of the wide range of birds found in the area. The bird
assemblage includes an abundance of woodpeckers, shrikes, warblers and
many birds of prey (such as eagles and hawks). In the evening call-back
surveys are also completed for corn crake and owls.
71
■Plants: The plant team will be focusing on target species which are good
indicators of the different grassland types. Quadrats will be completed in low,
medium and high nature value grasslands along the different survey routes
where the abundance of different key species will be noted. This area contains
some of the most diverse grasslands in Europe and this project will be a
chance to work in a rarely seen and spectacular habitat.
■Butterflies: The butterfly team will be covering the same survey sites as the
plant team, recording the butterflies encountered and using sweep nets to
catch and identify the rarer species. Light trapping will also be completed
for moths in the evenings, with early mornings then spent identifying those
species caught.
■Farms: The traditional farming methods used in this region play a crucial role
in the maintenance of high biodiversity. Part of the monitoring effort therefore
includes visiting a number of farms in each village and recording the numbers
of livestock, dates of grassland cutting, type of arable crops etc. The team will
also be gathering data on bear and wolf attacks on the livestock and will have
a unique opportunity to experience methods of farming which were lost many
years ago in most of the world.
TRANSYLVANIA
72
TRANSYLVANIA DISSERTATIONS
RT321 Plant indicator species of grasslands in Transylvania
Start date: 17 June or 1 July
Transylvania has some of the most species rich hay meadows and pastures
in Europe with traditional management, low fertilizer input and low stocking
rates. Fundatia ADEPT, Opwall’s partner in Romania have, with the help of
some experienced botanists, identified a guide of 30 plant species indicative
of high conservation dry grasslands. What is not known is whether some of the
indicators are more commonly associated with the highest value meadows or
pastures and so act as ‘super indicators’. This can be judged by comparing
the occurrence of each species against quality of habitat (the total number
of indicator species at a site). An association analysis of indicator species is
also needed to identity which species tend to occur together (and so can be
considered to be replicates of each other) and which are more unique. This
study will be conducted in a series of at least 12 sites already identified around
8 villages across the Natura 2000 site in Transylvania. Grassland surveys using
these 30 indicator species were conducted at a series of sites around 8 villages
within the Tarnava Mare region in 2014 and six of those villages in 2013, so
there are existing data sets to compare against the survey data in 2015.
RT322 Butterfly communities as indicators of habitat
changes in Tarnava Mare
Start date: 17 June or 1 July
Pollard counts of butterfly communities in different habitats (species rich
grasslands, species poor grassland, abandoned land, scrub areas and farmland)
have been completed at a series of sites around 8 villages across Tarnava
Mare in 2014 and at six of those same villages in 2013. These surveys are
revealing interesting patterns in butterfly habitat associations and changes in the
communities over time. The same sites surveyed in 2014 will be resurveyed in
2015 and these data can be used to identify habitats associations and changes
between years within the butterfly communities. One useful output from these
studies might be the identification of butterfly species which could be used as
indicators of high nature conservation grassland.
RT323 Changes in bird communities in Tarnava Mare
and habitat associations
Start date: 17 June or 1 July
Point counts for 10 minutes of all birds seen or heard were completed twice at
each of nearly 300 sites across the Tarnava Mare region in 2014 and at nearly
200 of those same sites in 2013. The 300 sites are being resurveyed in 2015
and these data sets together with those from previous years would enable a
number of different questions to be addressed. For example what changes in the
bird communities over the study period have been noted? What are the preferred
habitats of the main species and how has the proportion of these habitats
changed over the study period? If farming practices change how could this affect
the bird communities? Are there species which could be used as indicators
of habitat quality? This project is data rich and should enable some complex
analyses to be performed.
RT324 Niche separation in small mammals and their use as indicators
of habitat change
Start date: 17 June or 1 July
The Tarnava Mare Natura 2000 area offers a unique opportunity to study the
ecology of small mammals in a traditional, yet vulnerable farming system. These
systems provide a mosaic of habitats for several small mammal species. The
habitats include species-rich grassland, cultivated fields and woodlands. The
threat of encroaching scrub has become a major concern for the conservation of
the species-rich grassland. Several species of rodents and some shrew species
utilise the species rich grassland but data are needed on utilisation of these
habitat mosaics by small mammal communities or how small mammals are
responding to shrub encroachment and changes in farming practices. Capture
mark recapture techniques can be used to assess population size in different
habitats, breeding dynamics and habitat preference. The conservation of small
mammal habitats is not only important for the small mammals themselves but is
important for the range of predators that rely on them for prey. Species like the
Lesser-spotted Eagle are of major conservation concern and voles are known to
be an important part of their diets. Assessing mammal distribution and densities
throughout the Tarnava Mare is important to help monitor the efficacy of the
Natura 2000 management schemes in conserving this fragile ecosystem.
RT325 Farming changes in the Tarnava Mare region and how these are
likely to impact on biodiversity
Start date: 17 June or 1 July
Since 2013 there have been detailed surveys of farming practice in a series
of farms across the Tarnava Mare region. These data show differences in the
types of livestock held in different villages across Tarnava Mare and the farm
surveys being completed in 2015 could look at whether those differences have
persisted. The project could estimate the livestock breeds (cattle, sheep, goats,
pigs, poultry) owned by a series of farms across the Tarnava Mare region and
attempt to identify why such differences may be occurring such as traditional
usage, availability of land or economic benefits. Another project could look at
grassland management and the influence of the EU payments for traditional
management practices whilst another project could examine changes in crops
and the likely impact on biodiversity.
RT326 Distribution of abandoned land in the Tarnava Mare Reserve
Start date: 17 June or 1 July
Land abandonment is one type of agricultural change in Tarnava Mare driven by
membership of the EU and associated policy and socio-economic changes. This
project seeks to better understand the process of abandonment and the factors
behind such land use change. Fieldwork will involve mapping the location and
extent of abandoned farmland for each village. GIS-based spatial analyses can
then be used to investigate distribution patterns: the degree to which abandoned
land is clustered or randomly dispersed across the landscape, and whether
there are characteristic field shapes and sizes. Further analysis will investigate
the influence of various factors on the likelihood of abandonment, such as
topography (steepness of slope and altitude), distance to the village, and soil
characteristics.
RT327 Mammal abundance and landscape composition
Start date: 17 June or 1 July
In 2014 the relative abundances of larger mammals, including bear, roe deer,
wild boar, fox and marten, were assessed by recording signs of presence (scat
and tracks) along survey routes at each of 8 villages across the Tarnava Mare
region. The data suggest that the broad scale landscape composition – the
mosaic of different land cover types – may influence population densities and
hence the frequency with which these larger mammal signs are encountered.
This project would involve repeating the larger mammal surveys and then
analysing the data in conjunction with GIS-based land cover maps that are
being updated each year. This could reveal whether there are particular land
cover combinations which support the greatest abundance and diversity of
larger mammals, and consequently suggest the potential impacts of land cover
changes on future larger mammal abundance.
TRANSYLVANIA DISSERTATIONS
73
74
Page
Botany
Invertebrates Herpetofauna
Birds
Mammals
Primates
Marine
ecology
Intertidal
ecology
Environmental Experimental
science
biology
Fisheries
Genetics
Spatial
ecology
Conservation
management
Behaviour
Dive
projects
Snorkel
projects
PERU
PP251 The role of floating vegetation mats in the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, in providing breeding
habitat for amphibians ●
●
PP252 Niche separation in caiman species ●
PP253 Population trends and habitat preferences of Pink and Grey River Dolphins in the Peruvian Amazon ●
●
PP254 Estimating ground dwelling and arboreal mammal populations in the Pacaya Samiria Reserve PP255 Niche separation in Tamarins, Howler Monkeys, Squirrel Monkeys and other primates
in the Peruvian Amazon ●
HONDURAS
●
HM221 The effect of species richness and phylobetadiversity on the distribution of specialists
●
HM222 Diversity and habitat associations of bees in Cusuco National Park ●●
HM223 Estimating tropical invertebrate diversity ●
HM224 Factors affecting dung beetle, jewel scarabs and moth communities in Honduran cloud forests HM225 Comparison of community structure and abundance of moths on the Honduran Cloud forest
floor compared to the canopy ●
●
HM226 Metacommunity dynamics of aquatic invertebrates in bromeliads ●
HM227 How do dragonfly communities change over an elevation gradient? ●
HM228 Abundance and distribution of threatened amphibian populations in the Cusuco cloud forest
●●
HM229 Prevalence of Chytrid in amphibian populations within Cusuco National Park ●
HM230 Trophic ecology of vipers in Cusuco National Park ●●
HM231 Factors affecting bird communities in Cusuco National Park ●
HM232 Assessing detectability of under-represented species in Cusuco National Park ●
HM233 Habitat associations and trophic partitioning within cloud forest small mammals HM234 The use of camera trapping arrays in inventorying large mammal species and the deployment
of the Random Encounter Model (REM) for estimating their abundances ●
●
HM235 Ecology and behaviour of bats in tropical cloud forests HM236 Variation in microchiropteran bat activity in response to spatial and temporal variation in
insect activity ●
HM237 Determining the likely impact of climate change on altitudinally sensitive species in isolated
Honduran Cloud forests ●●
●●●
HM238 Predicting the effects of climate change on the rainforest canopy ●●●
HB239 Tracking the recovery of a keystone urchin species and its role in reef restoration HB240 Spatial and temporal patterns in fish community structure and biomass on contrasting
reef systems in Honduras ●●●
HT241 Feeding ecology and habitat preferences of ecologically important Diadema antillarum
sea urchins ●●●
●●●
HU242 A critical comparison of assessment techniques for surveying Caribbean coral reef ecosystems
●●●
HU243 Depth distributions and bathymetric connectivity of coral reef fish ●●
HU244 Competition for space between benthic organisms on Caribbean coral reefs ●●●
HT245 Uncovering the unique ecosystems of light-limited coral reefs in Tela Bay ●●●
HU246 An assessment of coral health on Utila’s fringing reef system ●
●●
HU247 Assessing the impact of mangrove degradation on their ecology and ecosystem service provision HT248 Structure and function of mangroves in Tela Bay
●●
●●
HU249 Thermal ecology, tolerance and temperature preference of coral reef and mangrove species
on Utila ●
●●
HT250 Monitoring the coastal fisheries of Tela Bay●
INDONESIA
●●
IH201 Competition within and between the dominant coral reef benthic taxa ●●
IH202 The abundance, diversity and distribution of Nudibranchs in Indonesia ●●
IH203 The ecology of Anemonefish in Indonesia ●●
●
●
IH204 The behaviour and functional role of reef fish cleaners in Indonesia IH205 The ecology and biology of shallow subtidal patch reefs in Indonesia ●●
●
IH206 Seagrass Ecology of the Wakatobi ●●
IH207 Environmental impact and feeding habits of the Crown of thorns starfish Acanthaster planci ●●●
IH208 The physical and biological structure of coral reef systems ●●
●●
IH209 Adaptations of cephalopods to extreme environments ●●
IH210 Life in two worlds: adaptations of amphibious fishes ●●
IH211 The eco-physiology of juvenile reef fish ●●
●
IH212 Can animals already living at extreme temperatures survive climate change? ●●
●●
●
IH213 Thermal induced rapid coral mortality in Indonesia IH214 Metabolic and thermal adaptations of fiddler crabs living in Indonesian mangal habitats ●●
IH215 Fisheries of the Wakatobi ●
Totals
7 815 718525 6168 5 21116 7198
Title
DISSERTATION SUMMARY TABLE
75
●
TRANSYLVANIA
●
RT321 Plant indicator species of grasslands in Transylvania ●
RT322 Butterfly communities as indicators of habitat changes in Tarnava Mare ●
RT323 Changes in bird communities in Tarnava Mare and habitat associations ●
RT324 Niche separation in small mammals and their use as indicators of habitat change ●●
RT325 Farming changes in the Tarnava Mare region and how these are likely to impact on biodiversity ●●
RT326 Distribution of abandoned land in the Tarnava Mare Reserve
●●●
RT327 Mammal abundance and landscape composition CUBA
●●
CU311 Manatee ecology in Cuba ●●●●●
CU312 Managing the Caribbean lionfish invasion
CU313 The ecological importance and current status of Acropora cervicornis corals in the
Punta Frances National Park ●●
CU314 Characterising the coastal fish communities of Cuba●
GUYANA
●●●
GI301 The economics of Reduced Impact Logging compared to more traditional harvesting approaches ●
GI302 Analysis of sound landscapes to assess bird communities in tropical rainforests
●
GI303 Comparison of sound recording and spotlighting for assessing amphibian communities ●
●●
GI304 Changes in large mammal and bird communities in the Iwokrama forests from 2010 – 2015 ●
GI305 Do mist nets operated at different heights or different sites affect the bat community data collected? MEXICO
●●●
YA291 Sea turtle behaviour and nesting site preferences YC292 Herpetofaunal species distribution and niche partitioning in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve ●●
YC293 Large mammal abundance and distribution patterns in relation to habitat characteristics and
hunting in Mayan forest ●
●●
YC294 Spider monkey grouping patterns and sex differences in behaviour ●
YC295 Bat abundance, diversity and distribution patterns in relation to habitat characteristics of Mayan forest ●●
YA296 Abundance of Damselfish and their impact on coral reef health through the promotion of algal growth ●●
YA297 Monitoring coral health using photographic techniques
MADAGASCAR
●● ●
MM271 Spatial behavioural ecology of the Malagasy Giant Hognose snake ●
MM272 Ecology of amphibians in Mahamavo ●●
MM273 Thermal ecology and UV-B requirements of chameleons, skinks and geckos ●
MM274 Colour variability and the ecological use of colour in the chameleons and geckos of Mahamavo ●
MM275 Population ecology of Nile crocodiles
●
MM276 Population ecology of colubrid snakes or chameleons in Madagascar ●
MM277 Microhabitats and niche partitioning in chameleons, skinks, geckos or snakes
●
MM278 Niche separation and the impacts of disturbance on avian communities in the dry forest
●
MM279 Occupancy modelling for Bushpigs and Indian Civets with camera traps MM280 Ecology and behaviour of nocturnal lemurs in the dry deciduous forests
of northwestern Madagascar●●
●●
MM281 Feeding ecology, habitat preferences and activity budgets of Coquerel’s Sifaka
MM282 Species distribution modelling in Madagascar ●
MM283 Landscape ecology in Madagascar ●
MM284 Community ecology in Madagascar ●
●
MM285 Forest land tenure and conservation revenue sharing in protected areas of northern Madagascar ●
MM286 Economic impacts of tourism and conservation in the Mahamavo forests
●
MM287 Assessment and valuation of ecosystem service provision in Madagascar MM288 Feasibility study of establishing a community managed protected area for sustainable use:
Governance and conservation revenue distribution ●
MM289 Investigating livelihoods and potential livelihood alternatives and intensifications for the local
communities with the Mahamavo forests●
SOUTH AFRICA
SP261 The use of behavioural studies to assist with management decisions for a large elephant
population in a small private game reserve ●●
●
●●
●
SP262 Calculating the carrying capacity of the Pongola reserve for elephant populations
SW263 Factors affecting the population size and distribution of large mammals in the Waterberg
Biosphere Reserve ●●
●
●●
SW264 Estimating the impact of elephants on habitat in Welgevonden Reserve SW265 The effects of habitat, elephant damage and fire management on winter bird communities
in Welgevonden ●●
●
PP256 Fish community usage of different habitats in the Peruvian Amazon
TRAVEL INFORMATION
Indonesia research assistant and dissertation dates
The Indonesia research assistant expeditions have a variety of start and finish
locations and dates, depending on which expedition you join. All expeditions
start on the Tuesday and finish on the Monday (see expedition descriptions for
the start and finish points of each option). Dissertation students need to start
either on the 16 or 30 June.
In order to be in position for the start of these expeditions you need to organise
your international flights to arrive in Makassar (also known as Ujung Pandang
on international flight schedules) on or before the Monday before your start date
and to depart Makassar on the Tuesday, after 1600hrs, after your expedition
has finished.
From Makassar we will organise your internal travel to and from your expedition
start point. As soon as you confirm the details of your international flights we
will be able to confirm the costs of your internal travel.
Honduras research assistant and dissertation dates
The Honduran research assistant expeditions have a variety of start and finish
locations and dates, depending on which expedition you join. All expeditions
start on the Wednesday and finish on the Tuesday (see expedition descriptions
for the start and finish points of each option). Forest dissertation students need
to either start on 10 or 24 of June, whilst marine dissertation students need to
start on either 17 June or 1st July.
In order to be in position for the start of your expedition you will need to book
your flight into San Pedro Sula on the Tuesday before the expedition and you can
book your flight leaving San Pedro Sula anytime after 1600hrs on the Tuesday at
the end of the expedition.
From San Pedro Sula we will organise your internal travel to and from your
expedition start point. As soon as you confirm the details of your international
flights we will be able to confirm the costs of your internal travel.
Peru research assistant and dissertation dates
All expeditions start in Nauta on a Sunday afternoon and finish at Nauta on
a Friday. Research assistants can start either on 14 June or 12 July, whilst
dissertation students need to start either on 14 or 28 June. Please see the
project descriptions for more information on the expedition choices.
Volunteers should arrange their international flights to arrive in Iquitos on the
Saturday before their expedition start date and to return from the Saturday after
their expedition.
From Iquitos we will organise your internal travel to and from your expedition
start point. As soon as you confirm the details of your international flights we
will be able to confirm the costs of your internal travel.
South Africa research assistant dates
The South Africa research assistant expeditions have a variety of start and finish
locations and dates, depending on which expedition you join. All expeditions
start on the Saturday and finish on the Friday (see expedition descriptions for the
start and finish points of each option). Dissertation students need to start either
on 13 or 27 June.
Volunteers will need to arrive in Johannesburg either on the Thursday afternoon
or on the Friday morning (before 0830hrs) before their expedition start date.
Flights back from Johannesburg can be arranged from 2000hrs on the Friday of
the expedition finish date.
From Johannesburg we will organise your internal travel to and from your
expedition start point. As soon as you confirm the details of your international
flights we will be able to confirm the costs of your internal travel.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
76
Madagascar research assistant and dissertation dates
All expeditions in Madagascar start on the Sunday. Forest projects finish on the
Friday and marine projects on a Saturday. The specific dates and times as well
as the start and finish points for each research assistant expedition are identified
in the project descriptions. Dissertation students need to start on 21 June.
Volunteers joining the forest project need to organise their international flights
to arrive in Antananarivo on or before the Friday before their project starts and to
schedule the departure flights from Antananarivo for the Sunday morning (if you
are leaving from the forest) or Sunday afternoon after 1400hrs (if you are leaving
from the marine site).
From Antananarivo we will organise your internal travel to and from your
expedition start point. As soon as you confirm the details of your international
flights we will be able to confirm the costs of your internal travel.
Mexico dates
The Mexico research assistant expeditions have a variety of start and finish
locations and dates, depending on which expedition you join. All expeditions
start on the Monday. Expeditions finishing at the marine site also finish on the
Monday whilst those finishing in the forest end on the Sunday (see expedition
descriptions for the start and finish points of each option).
Volunteers need to arrange international flights in to Cancun by 1400hrs on the
Sunday before their expedition starts and to organise flights leaving Cancun after
1800hrs on the Sunday of the last day of their expedition if they are leaving from
the marine site or 1500hrs on the Monday if they are leaving from the forest site.
From Cancun we will organise your internal travel to and from your expedition
start point. As soon as you confirm the details of your international flights we
will be able to confirm the costs of your internal travel.
Guyana research assistant and dissertation dates
All expeditions start on a Tuesday and finish on a Monday in Iwokrama or
Surama (see project descriptions for more information about expedition lengths
and start and finish points). Research assistants can start either on 16 June or
14 July. Dissertation students should start on either 16 or 30 June.
You should arrange your international flights to arrive in Georgetown by the
Monday evening before your expedition starts and to arrange homeward flights
from Georgetown on the Tuesday after the expedition finishes.
From Georgetown we will organise your internal travel to and from your
expedition start point. As soon as you confirm the details of your international
flights we will be able to confirm the costs of your internal travel.
Cuba research assistant and dissertation dates
All expeditions start on a Friday at the Colony Hotel on the Isle of Youth, and
finish on a Thursday in the same location. Research assistants can either start on
26 June or 24 July. Dissertation students need to start on 26 June. Volunteers
need to arrive in Havana on the Wednesday before their expedition starts and to
arrange flights from Havana for the Friday after their expedition ends.
From Havana we will organise your internal travel to and from your expedition
start point. As soon as you confirm the details of your international flights we
will be able to confirm the costs of your internal travel.
Transylvania research assistant and dissertation dates
The expeditions start in your first village on a Wednesday and finish at your final
village on Tuesday. Research assistants can start on 17 June or 15 July whilst
dissertation students can start on 17 June or 1 July.
You will need flights which arrive in Tirgu Mures before 13:30 hrs on the
Wednesday your expedition starts and depart Tirgu Mures anytime after 16:00hrs
on the Tuesday after your expedition ends. From Tirgu Mures we will organise
your internal travel to and from your expedition start point. As soon as you
confirm the details of your international flights we will be able to confirm the
costs of your internal travel.
GETTING TO SITE AND BOOKING YOUR FLIGHTS
MAKING THE MOST OF THE EXPEDITION
Once you have booked an expedition our travel team will put you in touch with
our preferred flight provider to help you find the best international flights.
To get the most out of your expedition don’t just think about flights, kit,
vaccinations and the logistics of the trip. Remember what you are going there
for and do some research on the taxa that you would like to focus on. You can
look up publications or reports from the site you will be visiting, download
some ID guides, and most importantly speak to the Opwall staff, most of whom
started with Opwall as research assistants or dissertation students, about what
it is like on-site and what you can do to make sure that your time out there is as
memorable as possible.
Whatever the expedition, once you’ve booked your international flights you will
also need to get yourself to and from the expedition start and end points. Our
travel team are on hand to help you do this and help you source the relevant
hotels, internal flights, journeys etc. Once you’ve booked your international
flights they will send you a quote for this.
www.opwall.com
He’s climbed Mount Everest. He’s swum the English Channel. Now, in support of the Opwall Trust, he takes on the toughest foot race: The Sahara’s Marathon des Sables. find out more: www.icewaterfire.com FEEDBACK
Being with Opwall is an absolutely amazing and extremely unique and rewarding
experience. Both the marine and forest sites are so beautiful and the staff and
scientists truly value research assistants contribution. Rachel Green, Research
Assistant, University of British Columbia – Indonesia Expedition
Such a good experience, everyone should do something like this. Kate Briggs,
Dissertation Student, Portsmouth University – Honduras Expedition
The best thing throughout the expedition was not only the learning experience
but the personal experience gained; you get to know others and also learn about
yourself. Anais Castillo, Dissertation Student, University of California, Davis –
Mexico Expedition
Coming to South Africa with Opwall was the best way possible I could have spent
my summer. Not only were the experiences incredible but the staff and people
I worked with made my trip unforgettable. Brady Hooley, Research Assistant,
University of New Brunswick – South Africa Expedition
One of the most amazing experiences of my life, if I could have stayed I would
have. Alexandra Batchelor, Research Assistant, Nottingham University –
Transylvania Expedition
This is a fantastic opportunity and I recommend all 2nd year university students
to join an Op Wall program; I am so far ahead with regards my dissertation and
it’s still summer! Heather Tyson, Dissertation Student, University of Chester –
Indonesia Expedition
Life changing experience. I’d stay here forever. Love the people, love the science,
love the animals, love the hammock! Seth Miller, Dissertation Student, Royal
Holloway – Mexico Expdition
Opwall provides a fulfilling, life changing, experience; helping discover who you
are and what you want to do. Matt Eden, Pre-med, University of Warwick,
Honduras Expedition
The real jungle experience. Feel like my help has really made a difference.
Mel Grant, Research Assistant, Oxford University – Mexico Expedition
Operation Wallacea has given me a field biology expedition unlike anything I have
ever experienced. I literally have to give my head a shake and remind myself that
the specimens in front of me are critically endangered and found nowhere else in
the world. Jeff Fach, Research Assistant, McMaster University –
Madagascar Expedition
I now want to be a marine biologist, this trip has changed me. Stephen Lee,
Research Assistant, McGill University – Indonesia Expedition
Fantastic experience and a lot learned, especially in herpetology. A real adventure
that is well worth experiencing with special wildlife that everyone wishes they
could see. You’ll go back with plenty of stories. Josh Phangurha.
Research Assistant, Bangor University – Guyana Expedition
Everything that worried me about coming on this expedition turned out to be
unfounded. My only regret is that I didn’t come for a longer stay! Ellen Burton,
Research Assistant, University of St Andrews – Mexico Expedition
A unique experience to be immersed in the Amazon Rainforest and witness the
diversity of the beautiful flora and fauna along side other passionate ecologists.
Roxanne Langford, Research Assistant, University of Birmingham - Peru Expedition
I had an extraordinary time-both socially and academically. The staff were friendly,
the projects and lectures varied and interesting, and the general atmosphere on
site was amazing. Margaret Bolton, Research Assistant, University of Edinburgh Peru Expedition
A great taster for marine biology and conservation - it’s got me hooked!
Dagny-Elise Anastassiou, Research Assistant, University of York - Cuba expedition
77
2015
INDONESIA
12345
WEEK 1
1
Tues 9 June
–
Mon 15 June
Tues 16 June D
–
Mon 22 June
WEEK 2
2
Tues 23 June
–
Mon 29 June
WEEK 3
3
WEEK 4
4
WEEK 5
5
HONDURAS
123456
23
Wed 10 June D
–
Tues 16 June
123
Wed 17 June D
–
Tues 23 June
4
Wed 1 July D
–
Tues 7 July
Tues 7 July
–
Mon 13 July
Wed 8 July
–
Tues 14 July
5
123456
Sun 5 July
–
Fri 10 July
3
Sat 13 June D
–
Fri 19 June
Sat 20 June
–
Fri 26 June
5
Sun 28 June D
–
Fri 3 July
–
Tues 30 June
Tues 30 June D
–
Mon 6 July
Sun 14 June D
–
Fri 19 June
SOUTH AFRICA
Sun 21 June
–
Fri 26 June
7 Wed 24 June D
Sat 27 June D
–
Fri 3 July
2
Sat 4 July
–
Fri 10 July
Sun 12 July
–
Fri 17 July
Sat 11 July
–
Fri 17 July
Wed 15 July
–
Tues 21 July
Sun 19 July
–
Fri 24 July
Sat 18 July
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Fri 24 July
WEEK 6
Tues 14 July
–
Mon 20 July
WEEK 7
Tues 21 July
–
Mon 27 July
Wed 22 July
–
Tues 28 July
Sun 26 July
–
Fri 31 July
WEEK 8
Tues 28 July
–
Mon 3 August
Wed 29 July
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Tues 4 August
Sun 2 August
–
Fri 7 August
WEEK 9
Tues 4 August
–
Mon 10 August
Wed 5 August
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Tues 11 August
WEEK 10
Getting more information
You will find much more detailed information on our website. This includes full
project descriptions, details of accommodation, costs, kit lists, reading lists
and our publication library. If you have trouble finding any information you are
looking for please contact your local office.
How to find out more
Attending an Opwall presentation is the easiest and fastest way of finding out
which expedition is right for you. We visit multiple universities in the UK, Ireland,
US and Canada each year. Please contact your nearest office to find out when we
will be visiting your university.
78
PERU
3
6
Sat 25 July
–
Fri 31 July
Sat 1 August
–
Fri 7 August
Sat 8 August
–
Fri 14 August
Sat 15 August
–
Fri 21 August
Ready to book?
You can book your expedition in a number of ways; in person at one of our
presentations, over the phone or by submitting an online booking form.
Insurance
Opwall has insurance in place to provide medical and repatriation cover up
to £1million for all participants on the expedition. All participants will still
need to purchase travel insurance to cover things like loss or theft of luggage,
trip cancellation and travel interruption. We can point you in the direction of a
suitable policy if you need any assistance. See travel advice (www.opwall.com)
for more details about insurance.
MADAGASCAR
1234
Sun 21 June D
–
Sat 27 June
MEXICO
1234
Mon 15 June D
–
Sun 21 June
12
CUBA
Tues 16 June D
–
Mon 22 June
123
Fri 26 June D
–
Thurs 2 July
TRANSYLVANIA
12
Wed 17 June D
–
Tues 23 June
Mon 22 June D
–
Sun 28 June
Tues 23 June
–
Mon 29 June
Fri 3 July
–
Thurs 9 July
Wed 24 June
–
Tues 30 June
Mon 29 June D
–
Sun 5 July
Tues 30 June D
–
Mon 6 July
Fri 10 July
–
Thurs 16 July
Wed 1 July
–
Tues 7 July
Sun 12 July
–
Sat 18 July
Mon 6 July D
–
Sun 12 July
Tues 7 July
–
Mon 13 July
Fri 17 July
–
Thurs 23 July
Wed 8 July
–
Tues 14 July
Sun 19 July
–
Sat 25 July
Mon 13 July
–
Sun 19 July
Sun 28 June
–
Sat 4 July
4
GUYANA
4
Sun 5 July
–
Sat 11 July
2
2
Tues 14 July
–
Mon 20 July
23
Fri 24 July
–
Thurs 30 July
2
Wed 15 July
–
Tues 21 July
Mon 20 July
–
Sun 26 July
Tues 21 July
–
Mon 27 July
Fri 31 July
–
Thurs 6 August
Wed 22 July
–
Tues 28 July
Sun 2 August
–
Sat 8 August
Mon 27 July
–
Sun 2 August
Tues 28 July
–
Mon 3 August
Fri 7 August
–
Thurs 13 August
Wed 29 July
–
Tues 4 August
Sun 9 August
–
Sat 15 August
Mon 3 August
–
Sun 9 August
Tues 4 August
–
Mon 10 August
Fri 14 August
–
Thurs 20 August
Wed 5 August
–
Tues 11 August
Sun 26 July
–
Sat 1 August
D
Mon 10 August
–
Sun 16 August
Expedition Fees
Key
1 Set expedition number,
start and end dates
Marine only
available weeks
D Dissertation
start date
D Marine
dissertation
start date
D Forest
dissertation
start date
Expedition Length
Price in the UK £
Price in US$
Price in Can$
2 Weeks
1,185
1,955
2,075
4 Weeks
2,215
3,655
3,875
6 Weeks
2,995
4,950
5,295
8 Weeks
3,900
6,450
6,830
79
OPWALL OFFICES:
UK HEAD OFFICE
US OFFICE
CANADA OFFICE
Wallace House
Old Bolingbroke Lincs PE23 4EX
UNITED KINGDOM
P.O.Box 3068
Staunton
VA 24401 USA
P.O.BOX 43, Whitby
Ontario L1N 5R7
CANADA
e: [email protected]
t: +44 (0)1790 763194
e: [email protected]
t: +1 (973) 920-0487
e: [email protected]
t: +1 (905) 231-2095
PARTNERS: We have a number of partners in each country but the principal ones for each country are listed below
IMPORTANT NOTE: The details of the expedition programmes described in this brochure are correct at the time of going to print. However, note that you will be joining a real scientific expedition and that on occasions the work
carried out on individual projects will differ from that described in order to respond to scientific priorities. Please keep checking our website www.opwall.com for the most up-to-date information about the expeditions.
ABTOT
The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours
Regulations 1992 for Operation Wallacea, and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for the following:
1. non-flight packages commencing in and returning to the UK;
2. non-flight packages commencing and returning to a country other than the UK
1, and 2 provide for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled. 1 provides for repatriation. Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected by
ABTOT when purchased directly with Operation Wallacea.
ATOL
Flight inclusive packages travelling from the UK are covered under the ATOL scheme.
ATOL protection does not apply to all services listed in this brochure. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL
Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL
protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to:
www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate.